fSfe^. 


m 


GIFT  OF 

SEELEY  W.  MUDD 

and 

GEORGE  I.  COCHRAN     MEYER  ELSASSER 

DR.  JOHN  R.  HAYNES    WILLIAM  L.  HONNOLD 

JAMES  R.  MARTIN         MRS.  JOSEPH  F.SARTORI 

to  the 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

SOUTHERN  BRANCH 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


DEC  6    liH} 

•/AN  7  mi 

JAN  6     R^^n 

ja::  29  1957 


BX 
5995 

T^fiTT4        New  ton 


Dr.    Kuhlenbe3:^g. 


'  hit  6  ik)  d 


JAN  7     19571^^  6v   R^CD 


Southern  Branch 
of  the 

University  of  California 


Los  Angeles 


Form  L  I 


311mcncan  Itldigiou^  Seatieciff 


DR.  MUHLENBERG 


WILLIAM  WILBERFORCE  NEWTON,  D.  D. 


BOSTON    AXD   NEW    YORK 

HOUGHTO.V,  MIFFLIN   AND   COMPANY 

Cbe  OiUerfiiDe  Press,  (CamliriUfle 

1890 


89542 


Copyright,  1890, 
Bt  HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY. 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  H.  O.  Houghton  &  Company. 


3y 

5395 


To 

THE  RT.  REV.  HENRY  C.  POTTER,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

WHO,  IN   HAVING  BEFORE  HIM  THE  LARGE-HEARTED    STANDARDS  OF   HIS  VENERATED 

FATHER,   RECOGNIZES   THE    FACT   THAT   IN   THE    PRESENT    CONSTRUCTIVE 

AGE  THE   LOYAL   CHURCHMAN   IS    BESET    WITH    PROBLEMS 

WHICH,   IN  THEIR   COMPLEXITY,    THE   FATHERS   OP 

YESTERDAY  NEVER  KNEW, 


>€{)tj5  J^olume 


IS  DEDICATED  WITH  THE  AFFECTION   OP   A    FRIENDSHIP  WHICH   HAS  DEEPENED 

WITH   TIME  —  THE   SOLE  TEST   OP    LIFE   AS    IT   IS   OF  TROTH — IN  THE 

HOPE  THAT   BE   MAY   LIVE   TO    SEE   THE   DREAM   OF   THE 

SAINTLY   MUHLENBERG    REALIZED,    IN  THE   TRUE 

"emancipation   OF   THE   EPISCOPATE,"' 

AND   IN   THE   VERITABLE   "  ON- 

SECTARIZINO   OF  THE 

CHURCH." 


PREFACE. 


The  life  of  the  Rev.  "William  Augustus  Muh- 
lenberg is  the  record  of  one  of  the  marked  lead- 
ers of  American  religious  thought. 

He  had  not  the  brilliancy  of  Channing,  nor 

the  logical  force  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  but  his 

character  blended  most  harmoniously  with  his 

-  career,  and  he  possessed  the  three  great  gifts  of 

C^  leadership,  —  "  the   sense  of  vision,"    "  the  dis- 

r-i   cerning  of  spirits,"  and  "  the  ability  to  make  a 

^    movement  march." 

■^  He  passed  in  his  time  for  a  prophet  and  a 
7^  dreamer,  but  to-day  it  is  unmistakably  discerned 
that  his  career  furnished  the  formative  influence 
of  the  past  generation,  whose  manifested  results 
we  discover  in  the  present  condition  of  church 
life. 

Dr.  Midilenberg  touched  liberalism  with  one 
hand,  and  institutionalism  wath  the  other  hand. 
He  founded  the  first  church  hospital.    He  estab- 


VI  PREFACE. 

lished  the  free-cliurcli  system  by  the  experiment 
in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion  in  New 
York  city.  He  developed  the  first  order  of 
Protestant  Deaconesses.  He  anticipated  the 
problems  of  socialism  in  his  efforts  to  establish 
St.  Johnland ;  and  he  lives  again  in  the  present 
age,  since  his  dream  of  an  inter-ecclesiastical 
congress  has  become  a  realized  fact,  whose 
knockings  at  the  door  of  the  House  of  Bishops 
in  Chicago  have  given  to  American  Christendom 
the  Bishops'  Manifesto  upon  Christian  Unity. 

The  results  of  this  versatile  and  comprehen- 
sive character  are  making  themselves  felt  in  the 
church  life  of  the  present  day  in  a  most  marked 
degree.  "  Your  Father  Abraham,"  said  our 
Lord,  "  rejoiced  to  see  my  day,  and  he  saw  it 
and  was  glad."  The  man  who  makes  an  epoch 
may  not  live  to  see  the  day  of  its  fruition,  but 
others  see  it  and  take  courage.  The  day  of 
Dr.  Muhlenberg  has  come  to  that  church  whose 
loyal  son  he  delighted  to  be  called.  Parties  and 
schools  of  thovight  have  led  the  way  up  to  the 
present  epoch,  but  the  church  is  larger  and 
wider  than  any  parties  in  it,  and  this  was  the  one 
doctrine  this  man  persistently  preached.      The 


PREFACE.  Vll 

men  of  his  da}'  said  that  he  was  a  dreamer,  that 
he  was  illogical ;  and  so  this  prophet  lived  and 
died  among  us,  and  we  knew  not  what  his  words 
meant  which  he  spoke  nnto  us.  He  stood  for 
an  evangelical  pulpit,  and  the  divine  commission 
to  preach  Christ  as  the  Saviour  for  men ;  while 
at  the  same  time  the  Lutheranism  in  his  nature 
accepted  the  sacramental  symbolism  of  Ger- 
many, so  that  he  always  came  to  God  in  public 
worship  in  the  form  of  the  altar  service,  which 
tj^ical  human  act  Bushnell  has  so  j)rofoundly 
elaborated  in  his  greatest  theological  work.  He 
stood  for  a  wide-heartedness  which  was  larger 
than  the  shibboleths  and  formulas  of  any  school 
or  part}',  and  he  developed  the  institutionalism 
of  the  church  as  the  only  basis  upon  which  any 
true  growth  and  enlargement  could  take  place. 
He  called  himself  an  "Evangelical  Catholic," 
and  at  last  his  day  of  influence  and  power,  which 
has  been  long  in  coming,  has  dawned.  This 
volume  contains  the  story  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's 
life  and  the  salient  features  of  his  ministry,  the 
one  aim  in  view  having  been  to  sketch  the  life, 
and  let  this  tell  the  story  of  the  character  of 
him  who  lived  it.     To  rightly  describe  the  life 


viii  PREFACE. 

of  such  a  worker  as  this  is  in  itself  a  task  worthy 
of  one  jjossessing  more  time  than  it  is  mine  to 
give  ;  but  I  have  thought  twice  before  declining 
to  do  this  work,  having  realized  that,  by  portray- 
ing this  character  for  the  generation  to  come,  it 
might  be  that  a  lasting  impulse  would  make 
itself  felt  through  the  veins  of  the  church  of  the 
future,  if  this  strong  life  could  stand  for  the 
coming  years  as  the  symbol  of  a  bold,  aggressive 
Christianity,  without  fear  and  without  apology, 
—  a  Christianity  whose  face  is  set  towards  solv- 
ing the  hard  problems  of  the  future  with  a  reso- 
lute courage  and  a  determined  will. 

There  is  quoted  at  length  in  this  book  Dr. 
Muhlenberg's  wonderful  prevision  of  the  second 
step  towards  Christian  unity  as  contained  in  the 
Memorial  Movement,  namely,  the  question  of 
ordination.  The  church  has  waited  thirty  years 
before  it  has  taken  the  first  step  towards  unity 
as  pictured  in  his  inter-ecclesiastical  congi-ess. 
There  is  also  sketched  as  simply  as  possible  Dr. 
Muhlenberg's  practical  solution  of  this  next  step, 
the  hard  problem  of  ordination  and  organic  one- 
ness, in  the  hope  that  this  might  prove  the  direct 
messasre  of  the  hour  for  which  the  church  has 


PREFACE.  IX 

been  waiting,  and  that  once  again  the  minds  of 
to-day  might  trouble  this  sleeping  Samuel  so 
that  he  might  appeal-  again  and  speak  to  the 
church,  that  it  inquire  honestly  of  the  Lord  and 
then  go  boldly  forward.  It  would  be  vain  and 
unmeaning  work,  after  the  valuable  and  com- 
plete life  of  Dr.  Muldenberg  written  by  Miss 
Anne  Ayers,  as  well  as  the  indirect  references 
to  his  ministry  in  the  full  and  copious  letters 
produced  by*  the  Rev.  Hall  Harrison  in  his  life 
of  Bishop  Kerfoot,  to  write  another  detailed 
biography  of  this  eminent  father  of  yesterday  in 
the  Episcopal  Church  in  America.  But  it  never 
can  be  other  than  helpfid  to  study  out  such  a 
character,  and  build  into  structural  unity  the 
gathered  words  and  works  of  a  great  creative 
mind,  whose  influence  lives  on  as  a  motive  power 
long  after  the  gi'ave  has  closed  over  that  which 
is  mortal.  Such  is  the  object  of  this  study  of 
the  life  and  character  of  this  remarkable  man. 

This  book  has  made  been  possible  through  the 
cooperation  of  my  friend  the  Rev.  Preston  Barr, 
whose  judgment,  aid,  and  most  helpful  criticism 
have  been  invaluable  factors  in  its  creation. 

It  is  called  a  study  rather  than  a  life,  for  it 


X  PREFACE. 

has  been  the  purpose  of  the  writer  to  bring  out 
the  relationship  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  personality 
and  work  to  the  subsequent  development  of 
Christianity  in  America  resulting  from  his  life, 
rather  than  to  describe  again  those  facts  in  his 
life  which  have  been  already  given  to  the  public 
in  his  published  memoir.  What  has  been  here 
attempted  has  been  the  perspective  view  of  his 
life  and  influence,  the  background  and  the  fore- 
ground of  the  picture,  with  this  striking  person- 
ality standing  as  the  central  figure  of  the  church's 
present-day  liberalized  life. 

There  have  been  many  bishops  and  doctors 
who  have  been  leaders  in  the  church  as  preach- 
ers, workers,  thinkers,  and  writers,  but  the^  mag- 
netic finger  of  the  present  age  points  unerringly 
to  Mulilenberg  as  after  all  the  truest  representa- 
tive of  that  national  and  historic  church  which 
professes  to  be  both  Catholic  and  Protestant, 
the  strange  paradox  of  which  is  solved  by  the 
simple  and  beautiful  life  of  this  unconscious 
"leader  of  religious  thought." 

Wm.  Wilberforce  Newton. 

St.  Stephen's  Rectory,  Pittsfield, 
January  1,  1890. 


CONTENTS. 


I. 

FAOB 

The  Stokt  of  his  Life 1 


II. 

The  Development  of   the  School  Idea  in  Ameri- 
can Church  Life 41 

III. 

The  Type    of  Churchmanship    of  which   Muhlen- 
berg WAS  the  Creator 71 

IV. 
The  History  of  the  Memorial  Movement      .    .    .  121 

V. 

The    Growth    of    Instithtionalism    through    the 
Genius  of  his  Personality 177 

VI. 
The  After-glow  of  his  Influence       221 

APPENDICES 257 

INDEX 269 


THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE. 


"  There  was  a  care  on  ray  mind  so  to  pass  my  time  that 
nothing  might  liinder  me  from  the  most  steady  attention  to 
the  voice  of  the  true  Shepherd."  — John  Woolman. 

' '  Life  has  two  ecstatic  moments,  —  one  when  the  spirit  catches 
sight  of  truth,  the  other  when  it  recognizes  a  kindred  spirit. 
Perhaps  it  is  only  in  the  land  of  truth  that  spirits  can  discern 
each  other,  as  it  is  when  they  are  helping  each  other  on  that 
they  may  hest  hope  to  arrive  there." — Hare,  Guesses  at 
Truth. 

"  It  is  better  to  be  useful  than  brilliant.  You  do  not  think 
so  ?  Well,  then,  your  heart  does  not  beat  to  the  same  music 
which  regulated  the  pulse   of   the  Apostle  Paul." — F.   W. 

KOBERTSON. 

"Some  people  find  religion  a  burden;  others  regard  it  as 
an  indifferently  useless  religious  institution  in  which  they  de- 
sire no  share,  and  concerning  which  they  never  trouble  them- 
selves again.  Others,  again,  look  upon  it  as  the  mainstay  of 
their  lives,  and  there  are  those  whose  interests  in  this  world 
are  not  strong  enough  to  shake  their  faith  in  the  next,  whose 
passions  do  not  get  the  mastery,  and  whose  self  is  sheltered 
from  danger  by  something  more  than  the  feeble  defense  of  an 
accomplished  egotism."  —  F.  Marion  Crawford,  Saraci- 
nesca. 


WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   STORY   OF  HIS  LIFE. 
I. 

1796-1815. 

In  the  summer  of  1795,  when  the  new-born 
nation  of  the  United  States  was  agitated  to  a 
point  of  childish  frenzy  over  the  Jay  Treaty, 
and  when  it  was  extremely  doubtful  if  the  bills 
necessary  for  the  enforcement  of  its  terms  would 
pass  the  House  of  Representatives,  a  merchant 
of  Philadelphia  is  reported  to  have  said  to  a 
prominent  member  of  that  body :  "  If  you  do 
not  give  us  [the  Federalists]  your  vote,  your 
Henry  shall  not  have  my  Polly."  The  speaker 
in  this  inter\aew  was  Mr.  William  Sheafe,  a 
gentleman  of  German  origin,  and  "  Polly  "  was 
his  daughter  Mary,  whose  hand  had  been  asked 
in  marriage  by  Henry  William  Mxdd(;nberg, 
eldest  son  of  Frederick  A.  Muhlenberg,  speaker 


4  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  First 
Congress,  and  again  of  the  Second,  during 
Washington's  first  administration.  It  was  dis- 
covered that  the  vote  so  urgently  demanded  in 
the  interests  of  peace  by  tliis  representative  of 
the  mercantile  class  was  already  determined  as 
desired  ;  Polly  was  accordingly  given  to  Henry, 
and  on  the  16th  of  September,  1796,  became 
the  mother  of  William  Augustus  Mulilenberg.^ 

^  Frederick  A.  Muhlenberg  was  not  reelected  to  the  speaker- 
ship in  1795,  but  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  of  the  Whole 
House  he  gave  the  casting  vote  which  saved  the  treaty,  and 
probably  the  country  from  revolution.  In  McMaster's  History 
of  the  People  of  the  United  States,  the  excitement  comiected 
with  the  adoption  of  the  celebrated  Jay  Treaty  is  thus  graph- 
ically described :  — 

"  When  it  was  known  that  Washington  had  at  last  put  his 
name  to  the  instrument  (the  Jay  Treaty),  the  Republican 
journals  broke  out  in  abuse.  '  The  President,'  said  the  Aurora, 
'  has  violated  the  Constitution.  He  has  made  a  treaty  with  a 
nation  that  is  the  abhorrence  of  our  people.  He  has  treated 
our  remonstrances  with  pointed  contempt.  Louis  XVI.,  in  the 
meridian  of  his  splendor  and  his  power,  never  dared  to  heap 
such  insults  upon  his  subjects.  The  answer  to  the  respectful 
remonstrances  of  Boston,  Philadelphia,  and  New  York  sounds 
like  the  words  of  an  omnipotent  director  of  a  seraglio.  He  has 
thundered  contempt  upon  the  people  with  as  much  confidence 
as  if  he  sat  upon  the  throne  of  Indostan.  As  he  has  been  dis- 
respectful to  his  people,  let  him  no  longer  expect  them  to  view 
him  as  a  saint.'  "  —  Vol.  ii.  p.  249. 

For  Washington's  letter  to  John  Jay,  see  Sparks's  Writings 
of  George  Washington,  vol.  x.  p.  404. 

See,  also,  Memoirs  of  the  Administrations  of  Washington  and 
Adams,  edited  from  the  Papers  of  Roger  Wolcott,  by  George 
Gibbs,  vol.  ii.  319. 


THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE.  5 

Through  the  paternal  line  this  child  had  a  clear 
title  to  a  jjatrimony  of  both  character  and  men- 
tal power ;  for  the  Muhlenberg*  family  was  one 
of  the  most  conspicuous  and  honorable  in  the 
period  of  our  later  colonial,  and  early  national 
history.  Its  founder  in  this  country  was  "  the 
blessed  and  venerable  Henry  Melchior  Muhlen- 
berg," 1  or  "  Father  Muhlenberg,"  as  he  was 
popularly  called.  Born  at  Hanover  in  the  year 
1711,  he  had  been  educated  under  the  great 
Francke  at  Halle.  His  apostolic  zeal  led  him 
thi'ough  a  missionary  career  of  heroic  devotion 
and  unremitting  toil  —  in  the  course  of  which  he 
established  the  Lutheran  Chiu'ch  on  the  shores 
of  the  New  World. 

As  the  writer  stood  recently  before  the  walls 
of  the  celebrated  institution  founded  by  Francke 
at  Halle,  and  witnessed  the  extended  range  of 
its  marvelous  benefactions,  he  could  not  but  be 
impressed  with  the  fact  of  the  far  -  reaching 
effect  of  the  inspiration  of  human  character  as 
shown  in  the  personality  of  Francke,  who,  in  the 
heart  of  Saxony,  —  the  land  of  the  liberating 
Luther,  —  with  a  divine  and  helpful  power,  had 
educated  a  Muhlenberg  in  one  generation,  and 
had  inspired  in  another  century  his  greater  de- 
scendant with  the  vision  of  St.  Johnland,  taken 
in  part  from  "  The  Franckeschen  Stiftungen  " 
in  a  German  university  town. 

^  Quoted  from  his  epitaph. 


b  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

This  memorable  and  worthy  man,  Father 
Muhlenberg,  had  three  sons.  The  eldest  of 
these,  John  Peter  Gabriel  Mulilenberg,  took  or- 
ders both  in  the  Lutheran  Church  and  in  the 
Church  of  England.  After  having  passed  from 
the  care  of  a  parish  in  Virginia  to  the  colonelcy 
of  a  regiment  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  he 
rose  to  the  rank  of  major-general,  by  virtue  of 
honorable  and  distinguished  services.  Henry 
Ernst,  the  youngest  son,  spent  his  life  as  a  de- 
voted pastor  of  the  Lutheran  communion,  and 
also  achieved  some  distinction  as  an  author  and 
original  investigator  in  the  science  of  botany ; 
while  Frederick  Augustus,  the  second  son,  and 
the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  volume, 
has  been  already  referred  to  as  a  statesman  of 
eminence  at  the  period  of  the  formation  of  our 
national  government.  At  the  age  of  nine  years 
the  shadow  of  grief  fell  across  the  pathway  of 
the  little  William  Augustus  in  the  sudden  death 
of  his  father  from  apoplexy,  after  which  bereave- 
ment his  mother  with  her  three  children  —  him- 
self, a  younger  brother  and  sister  —  went  to  live 
with  his  grandmother,  Mrs.  Sheafe,  in  Philadel- 
phia. With  this  period  began  his  education  at 
the  Philadelphia  Academy  under  the  tuition  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Abercrombie,  an  E])iscopal  clergy- 
man of  considerable  prominence.  His  mother 
was  of  the  Lutheran  faith  ;  but  as  the  children 


THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE.  7 

were  ignorant  o£  the  German  language,  in  which 
the  Lutheran  services  were  then  conducted, 
they  were  left  to  their  own  choice  of  a  church 
for  Sunday  worship,  and  that  of  William  and 
his  sister  fell  upon  Christ  Church,  of  which 
Bishop  White  was  rector.  The  boy  soon  devel- 
oped a  strong  and  loyal  liking  for  the  church, 
whose  worship  seemed  instantly  to  quicken  the 
latent  veneration  and  enthusiasm  of  his  rich, 
warm  nature  into  active  and  conscious  exer- 
cise. 

A  sort  of  dramatic  instinct  for  the  realization 
of  sacred  offices  was  one  of  the  marked  manifes- 
tations of  his  childish  years.  One  is  reminded 
by  this  child-life  of  the  boyhood  of  Thomas  Chal- 
mers, when  we  read  that  in  his  eighth  year  the 
little  William,  already  possessed  by  the  purpose 
of  becoming  a  clergyman,  was  accustomed  to 
hold  church  service  on  Sunday  evenings,  with 
the  family  for  auditors,  going  through  the  form 
of  preaching,  not  in  play,  but  with  sober  sincer- 
ity, choosing  a  text,  and  treating  it  with  as  much 
earnestness  and  thought  as  he  could  brins:  to  the 
task  ;  or  of  the  childhood  of  John  Henry  New- 
man, when  we  learn  of  his  quick  appreciation  of 
sacred  symbolism,  of  his  love  for  the  solemnities 
and  joys  of  festival  and  fast,  and  of  his  unva- 
rying delight  in  the  mystic  significance  of  the 
Christian  Year.     All  the  extant  evidences  agree 


8  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

in  representing  him  as  a  child  of  tender  and 
vivid  sensibility ;  of  quick  and  keen  intelligence ; 
a  merry,  genial  playfellow,  overflowing  with 
droll  and  sjoarkling  humor ;  fastidious,  energetic, 
ingenious  ;  with  an  eager  eye  for  beauty,  a  sen- 
sitive ear  for  harmony ;  with  tastes  that  gave 
emphatic  promise  of  that  ecclesiastical  sestheti- 
cism  so  little  understood  or  appreciated  in  his 
after-years ;  and  withal  a  joyous,  deep,  affec- 
tionate, intuitive  religiousness  that  made  itself 
apparent  in  the  earliest  operations  of  intelli- 
gence. Of  his  academic  career  there  is  noth- 
ing recorded  that  is  especially  striking  in  char- 
acter. 

He  graduated  from  the  Philadelphia  Academy 
in  his  twelfth  year,  and  spent  the  three  follow- 
ing years  in  the  grammar  school  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  preparatory  to  entering 
upon  his  collegiate  training  in  that  institution. 
During  the  following  period,  from  his  fifteenth 
to  his  nineteenth  year,  he  gave  decided  indica- 
tions of  that  sturdy  independence  and  original- 
ity which  marked  his  after-life.  A  distinct  and 
undisguised  dissatisfaction  under  the  restraints 
and  limitations  of  the  curriculum  possessed  him 
during  these  college  years.  This  is  susceptible 
of  easy  explanation,  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
the  average  college  course  of  eighty  years  ago 
would  hardly  compare  favorably  with  that  of  the 


THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE.  9 

preparatory  school  of  to-day.  Not  only  were 
there  no  elective  studies,  in  which  the  student 
of  to-day  has  opportunity  to  follow  his  inclinar 
tions  in  some  practical  direction,  or  to  rise  on 
the  wings  of  his  asj^iration  in  expansive  and  con- 
genial elements  of  knowledge,  but  a  mechanical 
monotony  of  method  and  of  drill,  which  could 
not  but  prove  wearisome  and  vexatious  to  a  free 
and  aspiring  nature,  formed  the  entire  univer- 
sity life. 

One  is  not  surprised,  therefore,  to  learn  that 
Muhlenberg  expanded  the  range  of  his  intellec- 
tual ^asion  beyond  the  narrow  limits  of  the  cur- 
ricidum  into  the  regions  of  music,  draAving,  elo- 
cution, chemistry,  botany,  and  mineralogy.  His 
natural  taste  and  talent  for  music  determined 
him  to  the  choice  of  the  former  of  these  studies, 
while  his  desire  for  a  wider  culture  and  a  more 
jDractical  training  led  him  to  engage  in  the  lat- 
ter. For  mathematics  he  had  neither  aptitude 
nor  liking,  pursuing  this  study  only  as  a  neces- 
sary part  of  his  collegiate  work.  The  moral  fibre 
of  his  nature  showed  its  quality,  at  the  expense  of 
much  temporary  unpopularity,  in  his  indignant 
denunciation  of  the  ti'icks  of  his  classmates  upon 
the  veneraljle  provost  of  the  university,  whom 
they  had  chosen  without  any  reason  as  the  favor- 
ite victim  of  their  boyish  pranks  and  unmanly 
behavior. 


10         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

During  these  years  his  religious  instincts  de- 
veloped rapidly,  and  on  Easter  Day,  1813,  he 
received  the  apostolic  rite  of  Confirmation,  with 
one  hundred  and  eighty  others,  at  the  hands  of 
Bishop  White.  Of  all  the  subjects  that  fill  the 
pages  of  his  boyish  journal,  none  is  entered  with 
such  minuteness  of  detail  and  with  such  manifest 
enthusiasm  and  delight,  as  that  of  his  religious 
thoughts  and  occupations.  His  experiences,  of 
which  his  diary  has  preserved  a  faithful  and 
extended  transcript,  were  preeminently  of  the 
joyous,  natural,  spontaneous  order.  Nothing  is 
morbid,  subjective,  or  factitious. 

The  record  of  religious  conversations,  of  ser- 
vices and  sermons  on  Sundays  and  holy  days,  of 
his  spiritual  efforts  in  behalf  of  his  college  com- 
panions and  friends,  constitutes  what  we  know 
of  his  religious  life  at  that  time.  Of  gloomy 
introspection  and  despair,  of  feverish  ecstasy 
and  unnatural  transports,  no  trace  can  be  found. 
In  harmony  with  his  religious  character  was  his 
conscientious  aversion  to  war,  which  amounted 
to  a  Quaker-like  antipathy  to  everything  mili- 
tary. All  the  excitement  and  dangers  of  the 
war  of  1812-14  awakened  in  him  no  thrill  of 
military  enthusiasm.  On  the  contrary,  the 
stirring  news  of  the  death  of  General  Koss, 
after  the  capture  of  Washington,  only  elicited 
the  query  in  his  diary,  "  Is  it  Christian-like  to 


THE  STORY   OF  HIS  LIFE.  11 

rejoice  in  the  death  of  an  enemy?"  with  the  re- 
mark, "  New  Testament  says,  '  Love  your  ene- 
mies.' "  The  character  of  Napoleon  he  intensely 
and  energetically  detested. 

In  reviewing  the  dawning  youth  of  this  re- 
markable man,  which  closed  at  his  graduation 
with  honor  in  January,  1815,  the  strong  and 
effective  traits  which  distinguished  his  manhood 
are  already  conspicuously  e\adent.  His  devout 
and  manly  religiousness ;  his  quick  perception 
of  the  defects  and  limitations  of  the  existing 
order  in  social  and  ecclesiastical  life ;  his  strong 
practical  sense  and  organizing  genius ;  his  deep 
and  tender  personal  sjonpathy ;  the  strength 
and  fidelity  of  his  youthful  attachments ;  the 
intensity  of  his  personal  solicitude  for  the  wel- 
fare of  others ;  his  native  tact  and  instinctive 
discernment  of  the  principles  of  leadership, — 
all  these  delicate,  complex,  and  intimately  re- 
lated elements  of  character  were  actively  ger- 
minant  during  his  collegiate  years. 

II. 

1817-1825. 

On  September  18,  1817,  having  two  days  be- 
fore attained  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  AVilliam 
Augustus  Muhlenberg  was  ordered   deacon  by 


12        WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

Bishop  White,  and  soon  after  was  made  assist- 
ant or  chaplain  to  the  bishop  in  the  rectorship 
of  Christ  Church,  St.  Peter's,  and  St.  James', 
Philadelphia,  for  which  position,  at  the  urgent 
invitation  of  the  bishop,  he  had  given  up,  before 
receiving  orders,  a  projected  visit  to  Europe. 

These  were  days  when  theological  seminaries 
were  unknown,  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that  the 
young  candidate  read  Paley,  Butler,  Stackhouse, 
and  Adam  Clarke  with  a  clerical  preceptor,  the 
Rev.  Jackson  Kemper,  afterwards  the  pioneer 
bishop  of  the  Northwest,  and  at  that  time  one 
of  the  assistant  ministers  of  the  united  churches 
under  Bishop  White's  pastoral  care.  From  this 
teacher  he  at  the  same  time  received  much 
benefit  in  the  way  of  active  initiation  into  the 
practical  work  of  a  parish.  During  the  three 
years  of  his  diaconate  he  was  occujiied  with  the 
usual  duties  of  a  parish  assistant,  preaching  in 
his  turn  only  with  the  bishop  and  the  other 
assistants,  and  devoting  his  main  energies  to 
Sunday  -  school  work  and  the  visitation  of  the 
poor.  In  October,  1820,  he  was  advanced  to 
the  priesthood  by  Bishop  White,  and  shortly 
afterwards  accepted  a  call  to  the  rectorship  of 
St.  James'  Church,  Lancaster,  to  the  great  dis- 
appointment of  the  Bishop,  who  had  hoped  to 
retain  his  services  as  chaplain  and  assistant. 

It  is  impossible  without  emotion  to  survey  the 


THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE.  13 

opening  hours  of  any  earnest  and  fruitful  human 
ministry  ;  and  there  is  enough  in  the  personality 
and  possibilities  of  young  Muhlenberg  to  kindle 
the  flame  of  a  hopeful  imagination  at  the  con- 
templation of  his  dawning  career.  But  to  the 
new-made  priest  himself,  there  was  doubtless 
little  in  his  outlook  that  seemed  specially  cal- 
culated either  to  excite  the  sensibilities  or  inspire 
the  imagination. 

The  Lancaster  to  which  he  was  called  was  a 
crude  section  of  the  peasant  and  middle  class 
Germany  of  the  eighteenth  century,  transplanted 
to  the  soil  of  the  New  World,  where,  by  the  end 
of  the  first  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century,  it 
presented  a  curious  specimen  of  arrested  devel- 
opment. A  more  unromantic  environment  than 
that  of  this  unaspiring  and  sordid  community 
never  vexed  the  soul  of  a  poet,  as  the  young 
clergyman  soon  proved  himself  to  be.  A  Low- 
German  society  without  ideas,  without  refine- 
ment, almost  without  language,  —  its  vocabulary 
to  this  day  numbers  not  a  thousand  words, — 
stolid,  immobile,  unresponsive,  —  such  were  the 
depressing  elements  that  characterized  this  re- 
gion. Its  ideal  of  an  Eden  was  a  Dutch  farm, 
with  a  Dutch  village  in  the  background,  such  as 
Washington  Irving  has  described  with  such  sub- 
tle humor  in  the  vivid  sketches  of  his  "Knick- 
erbocker's History  of  New  York."     Everything 


14         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

moved  on  the  earthly  plane,  and  the  air  was 
heaAy  with  the  vapors  of  a  dead  and  decompos- 
ing materialism.  Into  this  uncongenial,  unim- 
pressible,  and  unappreciative  element  of  stupid 
and  obstinate  conservatism  came  the  young 
prophet  from  the  East,  like  the  lady  in  Milton's 
"  Mask  of  Comus,"  with  his  great  warm  heart, 
his  practical  notions  of  progress,  his  striking 
presence,  and  his  undoubted  gift  of  leadership. 

In  personal  appearance  Muhlenberg  was  tall 
and  well-proportioned.  His  head  was  of  mas- 
sive _^structure,  well  set,  and  crowned  with  an 
abundance  of  curling  locks.  Both  in  face  and 
bearing  he  was  marvelously  impressive.  His 
portrait  presents  a  remarkable  combination  of 
masculine  strength  of  feature  with  feminine  gen- 
tleness of  expression.  The  brow  is  broad  and 
full,  the  nose  is  imperial,  the  mouth  is  large,  the 
lower  lines  of  the  face  are  regular  and  powerful. 
There  is  an  expression  of  indescribable  benig- 
nity, not  unmingled  with  humor,  in  the  eye  ;  and 
the  softened  downward  lines  give  an  effect  of 
almost  motherly  tenderness  and  affection.  When 
animated  or  interested  in  any  of  his  benevolent 
desig-ns,  there  was  a  peculiar  radiancy  in  his 
countenance  and  manner,  that  indicated  the  es- 
sential purity  of  the  spirit  within.  With  his 
rare  gifts  and  great  power  of  personal  attrac- 
tion, he  might  readily  have  become,  if  he  had 


THE  STORY  OF  EIS  LIFE.  15 

chosen,  a  Chrysostom  in  the  pulpit.  But  he  per- 
ceived that  he  lived  in  a  different  age  from  that 
of  the  Greek  theologian,  —  an  age  which  was  to 
be  influenced  in  quite  other  ways,  and  which  de- 
manded of  him  something  better  than  the  glit- 
tering and  far-sounding  reputation  of  a  popu- 
lar preacher.  The  children  of  the  community 
around  him  were  growing  up  in  an  ignorance  as 
dense  and  prejudiced  as  that  which  gave  their 
parents  such  self-complacent  satisfaction.  His 
first  move,  therefore,  after  organizing  a  Sunday- 
school  and  other  educational  interests  in  his 
own  parish,  was  one  in  behalf  of  public  educa- 
tion ;  and  in  this  mov^ement  he  displayed  in  a 
signal  manner  two  great  qualities  which  charac- 
terized him  throughout  his  entire  life,  —  the  fac- 
ulty for  leadership,  and  the  genius  for  organiza- 
tion. Instead  of  in\'itiug  the  certain  opposition 
and  contempt  of  the  community  by  taking  them 
into  Ms  counsels,  he  quietly  instigated  and  car- 
ried thi'ough  the  legislature  of  the  State,  a  bill 
making  the  city  of  Lancaster  the  second  public 
school  district  in  the  State,  Philadeli)hia  being 
the  first.  The  matter  attracted  no  attention  un- 
til a  large  building  designed  for  a  school-house 
was  begun,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  '110,000,  to 
be  defrayed  from  public  funds  already  appro- 
priated for  the  ])urpose.  Then  at  last  the  Ger- 
man citizens  were  indignant,  and    luistencd  to 


16         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

remonstrate  against  the  injnstice  of  legislating 
for  schools  to  be  taught  in  the  English  language 
only ;  but  their  harmless  ill  -  humor,  of  the 
Wouter  Van  Twiller  type,  which  was  too  inert 
to  accomjilish  anything  more  than  bluster,  had 
ample  time  to  work  itself  off  after  the  building 
was  completed,  and  during  the  period  in  which 
Mr.  Muhlenberg  was  organizing  the  new  public 
school  system  of  the  place.  In  this  he  was  inde- 
fatigable, and  in  a  high  degree  successful ;  and 
from  this  experience  in  Lancaster,  at  the  open- 
ing of  his  ministry,  dates  the  dawn  of  his  as- 
pirations and  purposes  in  the  direction  of  that 
educational  work  in  which  he  was  to  impart  a 
new  conception  to  the  public  of  his  time,  and  to 
which  a  great  part  of  his  most  faithfid  energies 
were  to  be  devoted.  It  was  here,  too,  that  he  first 
evinced  in  a  practical  way  that  powerful  influ- 
ence over  the  young  of  his  own  sex  which  ever 
afterwards  distinguished  him.  In  the  school 
was  a  bright  little  boy  of  six  or  seven  years,  in 
whom  Mr.  Muhlenberg  saw,  with  his  imerring 
insight,  the  elements  of  future  force  of  charac- 
ter. One's  memory  delights  to  linger  over  the 
scene  in  which  Mr.  Muhlenberg  placed  this  lit- 
tle fellow  —  at  the  age  of  nine  —  "on  a  large 
table  under  a  sort  of  canopy  of  oak  leaves  and 
boughs,  and  stood  beside  him  to  encourage  him," 
while,  "  in  the  presence  of  a  large  company,  the 


THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE.  17 

juvenile  orator  pronounced  to  General  Lafay- 
ette, on  his  visit  to  the  school  in  1825,  his  own 
pre-composed  address  of  welcome." 

Under  such  circumstances  begfan  his  life-long- 
interest  and  friendship  for  the  future  educator 
and  bishoj),  Jolm  B.  Kerfoot. 

It  was  also  during  the  Lancaster  period  in  his 
life  that  he  achieved  his  first  reputation  as  a 
writer  of  hymns.  The  hymn,  "  I  woidd  not  live 
alway,"  was  written  in  the  year  1824,  and  im- 
mediately upon  its  publication  sprang  into  an 
amazing  popularity.  The  verdict  of  the  future, 
however,  in  reference  to  this  hpnn,  wdll  in  all 
probability  be  that  of  its  author's  riper  years. 
Judged  even  by  present  standards,  it  belongs  to 
an  inferior  order  of  hymnody,  and  Mr.  Muh- 
lenberg was  as  much  surprised  as  any  of  his  cir- 
cle of  friends  at  the  wonderful  favor  bestowed 
upon  it  by  the  public.  In  after-years,  when  its 
widespread  and  continued  popularity,  together 
with  his  own  more  just  and  real  knowledge  of 
life,  gave  him  a  closer  conviction  of  its  faults,  he 
strove  by  repeated  revisions  and  successive  ver- 
sions to  give  it  a  higher  and  more  healthful 
tone,  —  one  which  was  more  in  accord  with  gen- 
uine Christian  faith  and  cheer.  Its  intense  sub- 
jectivity, its  morbid  depreciation  of  the  joys  of 
earthly  existence,  and  its  failure  to  recognize 
any  significance  in  the  discipline  of  life,  —  faults 


18         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

feebly  atoned  for  by  the  impatient  desire  of 
heavenly  felicity,  —  were  elements  which  jarred 
on  the  sensitive  fibre  of  his  maturer  piety.  One 
at  least  of  the  subsequent  versions  for  its  im- 
provement, which  his  dissatisfaction  with  the 
poem  led  him  to  attempt,  the  version  of  1876,^ 
is  incomparably  superior  to  the  form  in  which 
this  hymn  is  popularly  known.  It  is  a  sugges- 
tive commentary  on  the  contemporary  taste  in 
matters  of  hymnology  that  his  little  hymn  be- 
ginning, "  Since  o'er  thy  footstool,"  —  a  lyric 
worthy  of  comparison  with  some  of  the  most  re- 
nowned productions  in  this  field,  and  written  in 
the  same  year  as  his  famous  hymn,  —  was  al- 
lowed to  go  unrecognized,  and  is  even  yet  almost 
vmknown.  This  first  effusion  was  a  true  expres- 
sion of  contemporary  evangelical  thought :  it  ac- 
curately embodied  the  average  sentiment  of  the 
day  as  to  the  dark  and  sad  unmeaningness  of  life  ; 
it  expressed  the  curiosity  of  current  piety  to  ex- 
change the  gloom  of  this  discordant  world  for 
the  definite  delights  of  the  world  to  come,  and 
this  doubtless  accounts  for  much  of  its  popular- 
ity. There  was  in  it  nevertheless  a  genuine 
spark  of  the  divine  fire,  sufficient  to  indicate  its 
author's  title  to  the  possession  of  j^oetic  gifts  of 
no  mean  order. 

With  his  poetical   facility  and  insight  were 

^  See  Appendix,  A. 


THE  STORY   OF  HIS  LIFE.  19 

combined  a  refined  and  exquisite  musical  taste 
and  a  high  degree  of  proficiency  in  the  musical 
art,  which  he  exercised  at  intervals  in  his  labori- 
ous life,  by  way  of  refreshment  and  diversion,  in 
the  composition  of  sacred  airs  and  chants.  This 
delicate  and  sensitive  side  of  his  nature  found  lit- 
tle satisfaction  in  the  poverty  of  the  church  wor- 
ship of  his  day  with  reference  to  the  element  of 
hymnody  ;  and  prompted  by  his  own  keen  sense 
of  the  need,  he  was  himself  the  first  to  initiate 
any  decided  and  successful  movement  for  its  im- 
provement in  this  particular.  There  were  but 
fifty-six  hymns  embodied  in  the  prayer-book  col- 
lection of  the  time,  the  bulk  of  which  consisted 
of  mechanical  and  awkward  versions  of  the 
Psalms  for  metrical  singing.  In  the  year  1821 
appeared  his  tract  entitled  '*  A  Plea  for  Chris- 
tian Hymns,"  in  the  form  of  a  letter  to  a  friend 
in  the  General  Convention  of  that  year.  Fail- 
ing in  his  attempt  to  accomplish  any  action  in 
that  complex  body,  which  he  served  as  secretary 
of  the  "  House  of  Bishoj)s,"  he  pi'cpared  a  selec- 
tion of  metrical  psalms  and  hymns  from  differ- 
ent sources.  This  book  he  named  "  Church 
Poetry,"  which  he  introduced  forthwith  in  the 
worship  of  his  own  parish.  His  action  in  this 
respect  furnished  a  precedent  wliich  was  readily 
followed  by  a  number  of  like-minded  friends 
throughout  the  country.     As  the  result  of  this 


20         WILL /AM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

firm  and  positive  course,  the  next  General  Con- 
vention, fearing  lest  clerical  liberty  might  assert 
itself  in  some  unchurchly  manner,  appointed  a 
committee  on  the  subject  of  psalms  and  hymns, 
of  which  committee  Mr.  Mulilenberg  was  a  mem- 
ber. The  outcome  of  their  labors  was  a  new 
and  enlarged  collection,  adopted  by  both  houses 
in  the  year  1826,  embracing  several  of  Mr. 
Muhlenberg's  own  composition,  among  which  we 
find  the  familiar  hymns  "  Shout  the  glad  tid- 
ings," "  Saviour,  who  thy  flock  art  feeding," 
"  Like  Noah's  weary  dove,"  "  How  short  the 
race  our  friend  has  run,"  and  "  I  would  not  live 
alway."  ^  The  melancholy  strain  of  this  famous 
hymn  was  for  a  long  time  commonly  attributed 
to  the  unhappy  termination  of  a  tender  passage 
in  his  experience  at  Lancaster.  While  conced- 
ing that  he  had  formed  an  attachment  in  those 
years  which  had  come  to  a  sad  and  disappoint- 
ing end,  we  are  assured  that  the  affair  had  not 
reached  its  depressing  and  unfortunate  phase 
when  the  hymn  in  question  was  written ;  we  have 
his  own  words  in  a  published  interview,  also,  to 
the  same  effect. 

^  This  last,,  at  first  rejected,  -was  afterwards  restored  at  the 
urgent  request  of  Dr.  Onderdouk. 


THE  STORY  OF  BIS  LIFE.  21 

III. 

1826-1844. 

In  the  summer  of  1826,  Dr.  Muhlenberg  at- 
tained the  age  of  thirty  years.  During  the  five 
and  a  half  years  of  his  pastorate  he  had  gained 
a  practical  insight  into  the  great  wants  of  the 
world,  and  had  also  come  into  a  distinct  conscious- 
ness of  his  own  mission  in  relation  to  them.  In 
the  midst  of  those  years  of  pressing  and  arduous 
labor,  so  fruitful  in  permanent  residts  of  good, 
he  had  passed  the  wilderness  period  of  his  life, 
and  had  emerged  into  the  clear  and  bracing  at- 
mosphere of  a  definite,  distinct,  and  individual 
vocation.  Out  of  the  vexatious  oppositions  and 
misconceptions  against  which  he  had  battled  with 
unvarying  success  in  his  hitherto  unpromising 
field,  there  had  come  to  him  the  sacred  vision  of 
a  new  and  holy  calling  which  demanded  the  devo- 
tion of  his  life  and  of  all  its  energies.  He  had 
counted  the  cost,  and  his  mind  had  come  to  a  firm 
and  definite  resolution.  On  the  one  hand  he  saw 
an  assured  future  of  pulpit  eminence  and  eccle- 
siastical influence,  towards  which  he  was  urged 
by  the  counsel  of  his  dearest  friends  and  by  tlie 
consciousness  of  his  own  powers ;  on  the  other 
lay  an  untried  experiment,  involving  many  years 


22  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

of  obscure  and  unremunerative  drudgery,  with 
the  possibility  of  idtimate  failure,  so  far  as  his 
own  exertions  went,  as  his  personal  reward. 
Like  the  awakened  Saul  of  Tarsus,  here  was  one 
who  was  not  disobedient  to  the  heavenly  vision 
which  was  even  then  dawning  upon  his  mind. 
And  thus  it  came  to  pass  that  the  gifted  young 
preacher  and  faithful  pastor,  with  his  fine  equip- 
ments and  faculties,  turned  away  from  the  bril- 
liant prospects  opening  before  him  to  become 
"  a  schoolmaster,"  "  a  mere  teacher  of  boys." 
Some  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry  openly 
smiled  over  his  projected  plan,  while  others  were 
indifferent  or  sought  to  dissuade  him  from  the 
enterprise.  But  his  face  was  set  towards  this 
Jerusalem  which  was  before  him,  and  it  was 
useless  to  try  to  turn  him  from  his  chosen  life's 
work  by  friendly  and  superficial  entreaties. 
The  project  was  not  born  of  a  desire  for  praise, 
or  for  mere  notoriety.  Without  a  word  of  en- 
couragement or  sympathy  from  those  of  his  own 
household,  whether  of  the  flesh  or  of  the  faith, 
he  was  minded  to  become  an  educator  for  the 
sake  of  the  kingdom  of  God  upon  earth.  And 
thus  it  is  that  he  stands  first  in  the  honored  line 
of  those  who  have  considered  it  a  sacred  priv- 
ilege, and  one  honestly  included  within  the  func- 
tions of  their  holy  office,  to  teach  unruly  boys 
how  to  become   strong  and  holy  men.     What 


THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE.  23 

his  ideas  respecting  education,  what  the  public 
exigencies  which  determined  him  to  the  choice 
of  this  new  field  of  labor,  and  what  his  qualifi- 
cations for  it  were,  will  be  set  forth  at  length  in 
a  future  chapter  of  this  book.  For  the  present 
it  is  enough  to  know  that,  without  any  thought 
as  to  when  or  where  his  vision  was  to  be  realized, 
he  resigned  his  pastorate  at  Lancaster  in  the 
summer  of  1826,  and  like  Abi-aham  of  old,  in 
obedience  to  the  call  of  God,  he  went  forth  not 
knowing  whither  he  went.  His  first  thought  was 
of  a  voyage  to  Europe  for  the  study  of  foreign 
institutions  and  methods  as  a  better  qualifica- 
tion for  his  enterprise. 

This  subordinate  plan  came  to  naught,  how- 
ever, at  the  moment  when  he  had  brought  it  to 
maturity,  while  at  the  same  time  his  ultimate 
purpose  was  thereby  unexpectedly  realized. 
During  a  brief  visit  to  his  family  in  New  York, 
previous  to  embarking  upon  the  contemplated 
voyage,  he  was  casually  invited  to  officiate  one 
day  at  the  Sunday  services  in  St.  George's 
Church,  Flushing,  L.  I.  His  services  were 
immediately  followed  by  an  invitation  to  the 
rectorshi])  of  the  parish,  then  vacant.  He  com- 
promised with  the  vestry  by  taking  charge  of 
the  ])arish  for  six  months,  with  the  pleasurable 
anticipation  of  spending  the  interval  before  his 
voyage  in  intereoui-so  with  his  family,  after  his 


24         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

six  years  of  separation  from  them.  In  the  very- 
beginning  of  this  interval,  however,  he  was  acci- 
dentally brought  into  communication  v/ith  some 
gentlemen  who  were  contemplating  the  erection 
of  an  academy  building  in  Flushingo 

After  very  little  negotiation  he  was  induced 
to  give  up  his  projected  visit  to  Europe,  and 
enter  upon  the  headship  of  the  proposed  acad- 
emy. Plans  were  immediately  drawn  up  and 
the  work  begun  under  the  direction  of  an  in- 
corporated company,  of  whom  Mr.  Muhlenberg 
was  to  hire  the  building  at  a  certain  annual 
percentage  on  the  amount  of  its  cost. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  new  building  was  laid 
in  August,  1827,  and  for  ten  years  thereafter  he 
devoted  himself  with  undiminished  enthusiasm 
and  unwearjang  effort  to  the  work  and  functions 
of  head  master  and  teacher  within  its  walls. 
From  the  very  first,  the  success  of  his  venture 
was  assured,  the  individuality  and  effectiveness 
of  his  methods,  the  wonderful  attraction  of  his 
personality,  and  the  character  and  influence  of 
the  school,  all  conspired  to  bring  him  swiftly 
into  fame  as  one  of  the  foremost,  as  he  was 
the  most  original  and  successful,  educator  of  his 
time. 

Not  unlike  his  illustrious  European  prede- 
cessor in  the  field  of  education,  Pestalozzi,  Mr. 
Muhlenberg   was  called  upon  to  grapple  with 


THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE.  25 

the  stern  problem  of  limited  means  and  financial 
embarrassment  in  his  new  venture  ;  but,  unlike 
the  former,  he  was  an  able  and  most  successful 
financier  in  all  his  undertakings,  and  in  this  his 
first  independent  enterprise  he  achieved  a  signal 
triumph  in  spite  of  unforeseen  and  unavoidable 
difficvilties.  At  the  end  of  the  third  year  the 
new  institute  had  absorbed  all  his  private  means, 
and  burdened  him  beside  with  a  debt  of  $10,000 ; 
yet  in  due  time,  under  his  prudent  and  skillful 
management,  this  debt  was  cleared,  the  institu- 
tion became  self-supporting,  and  an  ever-increas- 
ing number  of  applicants  was  knocking  at  the 
doors  for  admission. 

Encouraged  by  this  most  cheering  and  substan- 
tial success,  Mr.  Muhlenberg  pushed  on  to  the 
development  of  a  higher  department  of  his  plan, 
in  the  foundation  and  thorough  equipment  of  a 
college  in  accordance  with  his  idea  of  the  higher 
Christian  education.  Declining  several  flattering 
invitations  to  the  headship  of  important  insti- 
tutions, he  purchased,  in  the  summer  of  1835,  a 
farm  of  175  acres  near  the  institute,  fronting  on 
the  East  River  for  more  than  a  mile.  This  beau- 
tiful domain,  which  was  most  admirably  adapted 
to  its  intended  purpose,  he  named  CoHege  Point, 
and  immediately  began  preparations  for  tlie 
erection  of  suitable  permanent  buildings,  to  be 
known  as  St.  Paul's  College.     But  in  the  very 


26         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

hour  when  his  prospects  in  this  direction  were 
the  brightest,  when  the  corner-stone  of  the  new 
institution  had  been  laid,  and  all  was  going 
smoothly  forward  to  a  happy  consummation,  the 
whole  enterprise  was  brought  to  a  violent  stand- 
still, and  ultimately  wrecked,  by  the  sudden 
financial  collapse  of  1837.  Instead  of  the  stately 
edifice  of  stone  which  was  already  begun,  he 
was  compelled  to  shelter  the  infant  college  in  a 
commodious  wooden  building,  in  the  hope  that, 
when  the  storm  which  had  brought  financial 
ruin  to  most  of  the  wealthy  benefactors,  who 
were  pledged  to  assist  the  enterprise,  had  spent 
itself,  the  work  so  untimely  suspended  would  be 
renewed,  and  his  fair  scheme  carried  to  com- 
pletion. In  this  hope  he  was  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment. Notwithstanding  his  many  endeav- 
ors and  appeals,  the  funds  for  the  completion  of 
the  permanent  building,  which  he  had  begun  on 
a  generous  and  stately  plan,  could  not  be  raised ; 
and  its  foundation  stones  and  basement  walls 
long  remained  as  a  visible  rebuke  to  the  church 
and  Christian  public  for  thus  allowing  defeat 
to  overtake  the  plans  of  one  of  the  world's 
most  devoted  benefactors.  The  work  of  the  col- 
lege continued,  however,  for  eight  years  after 
its  formal  opening,  in  the  temporary  buildings 
which  Dr.  Muhlenberg  had  found  means  to 
erect.     The  work  was  in  the  hands  of  a  faculty 


THE   STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE.  27 

of  nine  jjrofessors  and  five  instructors,  several 
of  whom  had  been  educated  in  the  institute  at 
Flushing ;  and  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  most 
efficient  and  durable  results  in  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg's educational  career  were  achieved  during 
the  eight  years  of  the  existence  of  St.  Paul's 
College.  At  the  end  of  these  years  of  patient 
waiting  he  found  it  impracticable  to  go  on  with 
the  work  which  he  had  so  much  at  heart.  The 
inadequate  buildings,  the  lack  of  endowment, 
the  want  of  a  corporate  character  and  power  to 
confer  degrees,^  —  these  and  a  score  of  other 
practical  difficulties  were  pointing  with  a  steady 
and  increasing  emphasis  to  the  probable  dissolu- 
tion of  the  institution  in  the  not  distant  future. 

Another  consideration  which  reconciled  him  to 
the  thought  of  withdrawal  from  this  chosen  field 
of  labor,  was  the  conviction  that  he  had  accom- 
plished his  mission  in  this  department  of  effort 
in  having  originated  and  successfully  managed 
a  learned  institution  of  a  new  and  genuinely 
Christian  tjqoe. 

This  conviction  was  due  to  the  sudden  appear- 
ance and  rapid  growth  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  of  schools  organized  and  conducted 
upon  the  principle  of  St.  Paul's.  No  bishop 
considered  his  diocese  as  complete  without  such 

^  Owing   solely  to  the  refusal  of   the  state  legislature  to 
grant  a  charter  to  a  religious  institution. 


28  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

an  institution ;  and  Mr.  Muhlenberg  was  con- 
stantly importuned  by  such  to  transfer  his  plant, 
or  interviewed  by  them  for  the  purpose  of  ac- 
quiring his  methods. 

The  necessity  of  thus  relinquishing  the  col- 
lege was  accentuated  at  the  same  time  by  a  call 
to  a  widely  different  field  of  work  which  seemed 
to  offer  most  inviting  possibilities.  His  sister, 
Mrs.  Mary  A.  Rogers,  in  fulfillment  of  the  pur- 
poses of  her  deceased  husband,  contemplated 
the  building  of  a  free  church  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  and  naturally  looked  to  her  brother 
as  a  suitable  pastor  of  the  church.  Such  an 
opening  was  one  altogether  to  his  mind.  With 
that  practical  insight  which  characterized  him  in 
life,  he  had  long  recognized,  in  the  necessity  for 
a  practical  reformation  of  the  church  along  the 
lines  of  parochial  administration  and  a  broad- 
ened general  policy,  a  sphere  of  activity  not  less 
urgent  than  that  in  which,  by  eighteen  years  of 
his  consecrated  toil  and  genius,  a  practical  re- 
form of  educational  methods  and  principles  had 
been  so  auspiciously  inaugurated.  He  had  al- 
ready devoted  much  patient  thought  to  the  jirac- 
tical  problems  of  church  work  and  organization ; 
and  now  that  an  opportunity  presented  itself  for 
the  embodiment  of  his  ideal  of  a  parish,  he  closed 
the  door  decisively  upon  the  educational  passage 
of  his  life,  and  with  his  eye  upon  two  distinct 


THE   STORY   OF  HIS  LIFE.  29 

and  practical  objects  in  the  line  of  ecclesiastical 
development,  tlie  one  near  and  the  other  remote, 
entered  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  youtlifid 
vigor,  and  all  the  mature  wisdom'  of  meridian 
manhood,  upon  the  most  protracted,  brilliant, 
successful,  and  beneficent  chapter  of  liis  pro- 
longed and  fruitfid  ministry. 


IV. 

1845-1877. 

When  Dr.  Muhlenberg  began  his  ministry  in 
New  York,  his  personality  was  at  the  zenith  of 
its  power.  He  had  almost  completed  his  fiftieth 
year,  and  his  prolific  genius,  trained  to  the  highest 
degree  of  practical  efficiency  by  the  experience  of 
a  quarter  of  a  century  in  actual  service,  had  found 
a  pro\'ince  wide  enough  for  its  most  varied  and 
productive  exercise.  The  feature  of  his  char- 
acter which  most  impresses  the  general  reader 
at  this  distance  of  time  is  the  strong,  judicious, 
practical  quality  of  all  his  benevolent  aims.  The 
unspotted  saintliness  of  his  life  was  modestly 
withdrawn  into  such  unobtrusive  and  sacred 
seclusion  from  the  world  that  it  was  known  only 
to  the  very  few  who  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  his 
intimate  friendsliip.  But  the  naturalness  of  the 
man,  his   robust   common   sense,  the  healthful 


30  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

flow  of  intellectual  high  spirits,  and  the  tender 
glow  of  his  gentleness  and  Christian  charity, 
hedged  him  round  with  respect  and  veneration 
wherever  he  was  known  ;  while  his  projected 
schemes  and  labors  of  love,  that  were  perpet- 
ually crystallizing  themselves  in  institutions  of 
permanent  practical  benefit  to  the  race,  have  im- 
mortalized his  name  in  a  group  of  monuments 
more  enduring  than  the  studied  efforts  of  mere 
material  grandeur.  For  more  than  thirty  years 
he  was  the  most  capable,  energetic,  and  success- 
ful personality  of  the  metropolis  in  humanitarian 
activity,  as  he  was  for  a  long  stretch  of  years  the 
most  potent  influence  in  the  work  of  reorganizing 
a  dismembered  and  paralyzed  Christendom. 

He  began  this  long  ministry  of  di^dne  com- 
passion in  the  very  humble  and  practical  task  of 
ora'anizins:  and  serving  that  which  seemed  to  be 
a  country  parish  in  the  neighborhood  of  New 
York ;  but  his  prophetic  eye  saw  in  advance  that 
this  rural  spot,  now  the  corner  of  Sixth  Avenue 
and  Twentieth  Street,  which  he  had  selected  for 
the  site  of  the  new  church,  would  in  a  very  few 
years  be  the  centre  of  that  swarming  metropolis. 
HaATug  chosen  the  plan  and  su2)erintended  the 
building  of  the  house  of  worshi]),  he  entered  on 
his  new  pastorate  in  the  spring  of  1846,  and  for 
upwards  of  twelve  years  continued,  as  rector  of 
the  church,  to  shape  and  guide  its  development. 


THE   STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE.  31 

The  name  which  he  had  given  to  this  offspring 
of  his  heart  v.as  "  The  Church  of  the  Holy 
Communion."  This  name  was  a  product  of  his 
conception  of  the  church  as  a  family  or  brother- 
hood, with  communion  or  fellowship  in  the 
spirit  and  love  of  Christ  as  the  law  and  method 
of  its  life.  The  following  extract  from  his  ad- 
dress at  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone,  Jvdy  24, 
1844,  displays  the  spirit  and  aim  vAih.  which  he 
entered  on  the  work :  — 

"  Let  this  sanctuary  be  called  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Communion.  Nor  let  it  be  only  a  name.  Let 
it  be  the  ruling  idea  in  forming  and  maintaining  the 
church,  and  in  all  its  ministrations.  Here  let  there 
be  a  sanctuary  consecrated  specially  to  fellowship 
in  Christ,  and  to  the  great  ordinance  of  his  love. 
This  will  rebuke  all  the  distinctions  of  pride  and 
wealth.  .  .  .  As  Christians  dare  not  bring  such  dis- 
tinctions to  the  table  of  the  Lord,  there,  at  least,  re- 
membering their  fellowship  in  Christ  and  their  com- 
mon level  in  redemption,  the  high  and  the  low,  the 
rich  and  the  poor,  gathered  around  the  sacred  board  ; 
so  let  the  same  brotherhood  prevail,  let  there  be  no 
places  for  the  differences  of  worldly  rank  in  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Communion."  ^ 

This  lofty  ideal  of  human  brotherhood  and 
the  exalted  aim  of  realizing  it  as  a  visible  em- 
bodiment, dominated  and  pervaded  all  the  work 

^  See  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  Second  Series,  p.  TO. 


32  WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

of  those  twelve  years  in  connection  with  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Communion ;  and  by  the 
impulse  and  inspiration  of  this  Christly  ideal 
were  developed  his  two  great  subsequent  under- 
takings,—  St.  Luke's  Hospital  and  the  Indus- 
trial Community  of  St.  Johnland.  It  was  this 
character  of  practical  beneficence  in  all  his  work, 
flowing  out  in  copious  and  unfailing  currents 
from  the  secret  springs  of  a  holy  and  devoted 
life  of  personal  love  to  Christ,  which  impressed 
his  personality  upon  the  spirit  and  institutions 
of  his  church  and  time  with  such  instant  and 
telling  effect.  It  is  this  that  has  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  whole  Christian  public  to  him 
as  the  preeminent  leader  of  religious  develop- 
ment which  the  Protestant  Episcopal  communion 
has  produced  in  this  Western  world.  Others 
were  possessed  of  better  logical  powers  in  the 
arena  of  controversy,  or  in  the  formulation  and 
adjustment  of  inflexible  and  contradictory  de- 
tails in  theological  and  ecclesiastical  theory,  but 
to  Dr.  Muhlenberg  alone  belongs  the  twofold 
distinction  of  having  realized,  thi-oughout  his 
entire  ministry  of  more  than  fifty-five  years, 
the  practical  e\'idences  of  Christianity  as  pro- 
claimed by  his  Divine  Master,  —  "  the  blind  see, 
the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  the  deaf 
hear,  and  to  the  poor  the  gospel  is  preached;" 
and  also  of  having  for  more  than  forty  of  those 


THE  STORY  OF  HIS  LIFE.  33 

years  labored  and  pleaded  with  heroic  insistence 
for  the  literal  fulfilhnent  of  the  Saviour's  dying 
prayer  for  his  people,  "That  they  all  may  be 
one,  as  thou  Father  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee ; 
that  they  aU  may  be  one  in  us,  that  the  world 
may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me." 

AVhatever  Dr.  Muhlenberg  may  be  said  to 
have  been,  he  can  never  be  called  an  impractica- 
ble dreamer.  He  saw  realities  in  advance,  albeit 
realities  that  were  yet  to  come.  He  essayed,  by 
the  things  that  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought 
the  things  that  are ;  and  this  is  always  the 
method  by  which  the  Infinite  Wisdom  builds 
his  many  worlds,  and  his  spiritual  kingdom  in 
these  worlds. 

No  sooner  had  a  commanding  reality  of  the 
future  arisen  before  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  vision 
than  he  set  about,  in  the  most  childlike  faith  and 
manner,  to  bring  it  to  pass.  And  to  few  men 
has  it  been  granted  to  behold  the  completion  of 
so  large  a  measure  of  their  undertakings.  Five 
of  the  great  institutional  movements  which  he 
originated  and  personally  initiated  —  the  Chris- 
tian element  introduced  into  education,  the  or- 
ganization of  Protestant  sisterhoods,  the  reform 
of  parish  administration  as ,  exemplified  in  the 
Free  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  realized 
philanthropy  as  seen  in  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  and 
a  true  Christian   socialism  as  witnessed  in  the 


34         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

experiment  of  St.  Johnland  —  were  fully  ma- 
tured and  developed  in  his  own  lifetime.  A 
sixth,  the  largest  and  grandest  of  all,  the  move- 
ment toward  Christian  unity,  begotten  by  his 
prayers  as  well  as  by  his  words  and  labors  of 
love  during  forty  years,  is  now  in  the  womb  of 
time,  and  is  agitating  the  entire  body  of  Ameri- 
can Protestant  Christianity  with  the  initial 
birth-throes  of  a  grander  and  a  purer  church 
than  earth  has  as  yet  known. 

For  the  thirty-two  years  of  his  residence  in 
New  York,  during  which  his  astonishing  labors 
brought  four  of  his  great  humanitarian  projects 
to  fruition  and  laid  the  foundations  of  a  reor- 
ganized church  life,  he  lived  in  the  same  plain 
and  modest  seclusion  from  public  notoriety  or 
prominence  which  had  characterized  him  as  "  a 
teacher  of  boys."  Every  dollar  of  his  private 
means,  which  consisted  of  an  ample  fortune 
aside  from  his  income  as  pastor,  was  absorbed 
by  his  vast  benevolent  schemes,  or  dispensed  in 
private  charities.  We  are  told  that,  in  his  eager- 
ness to  give  away  all  that  he  possessed,  he  would 
even  have  worn  coarser  garments,  had  his  mother 
and  sister,  who  gave  him  money  for  his  tailor's 
bills,  permitted  it.  As  pastor  of  St.  Luke's  Hos- 
pital he  declined  all  salary,  —  except  during  the 
last  ten  years,  when  he  wanted  the  money  to  give 
to  a  home  for  crippled  children  at  St.  Johnland, 


THE  STORY   OF  HIS  LIFE.  35 

—  and  his  personal  expenses  were  defrayed 
wholly  by  gifts  bestowed  by  friends  for  the  pur- 
pose. With  the  exception  of  two  brief  summer 
trips  to  Europe,  he  took  no  vacation  from  active 
duty  in  all  these  years  of  continuous  achieve- 
ment. St.  Luke's  Hospital,  where  he  occupied 
a  plainly  furnished  prophet's  chamber  for  the 
last  twenty  years  of  his  life,  while  devoting  his 
main  energy  and  time  to  the  work  of  its  super- 
intendence and  the  pastoral  care  of  its  inmates, 
was  first  ready  for  occupancy  in  the  aiitumn  of 
1858,  having  been  an  object  of  his  eager  antici- 
pation and  patient  striving  for  the  twelve  pre- 
ceding years.  The  record  of  his  personal  min- 
istrations to  the  patients  of  St.  Luke's,  and  of 
his  tender  care  and  individual  oversight  of  the 
poor  while  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Communion  ;  the  influence  of  these  two  institu- 
tions in  great  public  crises,  —  the  one  a  fountain 
of  inexhaustible  blessing  and  comfort  through 
the  terrible  cholera  scourge  of  1849,  the  other  a 
source  of  strength  and  a  river  of  peace  through 
the  days  of  riot  and  mad  violence  in  1863,  — 
as  well  as  their  wider  and  more  permanent  in- 
fluence in  stimulating  and  forming  the  growth 
of  like  institutions  throughout  the  land,  are  facts 
which  alone  would  fill  a  volume. 

There  was  never  in  his  life  any  approach  to 
the  methods  of  the  i'elie:ious  moimtebank  or  the 


36  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

ecclesiastical  charlatan.  He  realized  most  thor- 
ouglily  that  Christianity  could  not  possibly 
work  by  any  methods  of  sounding  brass  or 
tinkling  cymbal.  He  knew  that  Christianity  is 
simply  the  method  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and 
that  the  spirit  of  Christ  never  works  to  any  ef- 
fect without  the  Divine  instrumentality  of  per- 
sonal sympathy  and  human  compassion  mani- 
fested in  the  individual  contact  of  life  with  life, 
and  soul  with  soul.  So,  like  his  Galilean  Lord, 
he  lived  among  the  lowly,  reclaimed  the  erring, 
cheered  the  poor  and  toil-worn,  taught  the  ig- 
norant with  a  divine  joy  and  patience,  watched 
by  the  sick,  prayed  with  the  dying,  and  com- 
forted the  forsaken.  Out  of  these  personal 
ministrations  and  sympathies  came  the  first  sug- 
gestion of  St.  Luke's  Hospital  and  St.  John- 
land, 

He  could  not  quietly  contemplate  the  distress- 
ing condition  of  those  who  were  stricken  with 
sickness,  in  the  wretched  homes  of  the  poor,  to 
whom  he  gave  his  personal  ministrations  in  the 
great  city.  His  indignation  was  unbounded  at 
the  cruel  neglect  which  coolly  consigned  them  to 
death  in  their  misery  without  attention  or  spn- 
pathy.  It  was  not  in  him  to  rest  quiet  in  a 
daily  familiarity  with  their  lot  without  a  radical 
and  prolonged  effort  to  remedy  a  state  of  things 
so  utterly  inhuman.     Almost  from  the  death-bed 


THE  STORY   OF  HIS  LIFE.        .  37 

of  one  of  these  lowly  sufferers  he  came  to  the 
service  of  the  church  on  St.  Luke's  Day  (Octo- 
ber 18, 1846),  and  quietly  announced  to  the  con- 
gregation that  one  half  the  offerings  of  that 
day  would  be  laid  aside  as  the  nucleus  of  a  fund 
for  the  building  of  a  church  hospital  for  the  sick 
among  the  poor,  and  that  the  same  disposition 
would  be  made  with  each  returning  festival. 
The  fraction  over  thirty  dollars  realized  from 
this  announcement  possibly  justified  the  tinge  of 
scorn  with  which  he  was  asked  the  same  day 
when  he  expected  to  build  his  hospital,  and  to 
which  he  replied,  "Never,  if  I  don't  make  a 
beginning."  He  lived  in  the  future,  and  in  that 
future  the  hospital  was  as  solid  a  reality  to  him 
as  its  subsequent  walls  and  wards  have  been  to 
others. 

St.  Johnland,  "the  child  of  his  old  age,"  as 
he  delighted  to  call  it,  grew  in  the  same  practi- 
cal way  out  of  his  personal  observation  of  the 
vast  needs  of  modern  society  as  he  met  them  in 
his  visits  to  the  poor  in  the  gi-eat  city  of  New 
York.  There  was  no  economic  theory  at  the  bot- 
tom of  this  noble  venture, — no  cheap  indignation 
at  social  injustice  or  industrial  maladjustment. 
It  was  the  simple  endeavor  of  a  plain  Christian 
man  to  remedy  in  his  degree  a  state  of  things 
which  wrung  his  heart,  and  stirred  his  soul  with 
sympathy. 


8954 


o 


38  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

Francke  at  Halle,  John  Talk  at  Weimar,  and 
Pastor  Harms  had  done  this  same  great  work  in 
the  Old  World  in  simple  faith :  why  should  it 
be  thought  a  thing  incredible  that  the  same  faith 
in  the  Divine  Spirit  of  God  could  produce  a 
like  result  in  the  metropolis  of  the  New  World  ? 

To  the  work  of  soliciting  the  necessary  funds, 
or  rather  of  making  clear  to  the  public  the  na- 
ture of  his  plan,  and  the  actual  task  of  founding 
the  new  community,  he  devoted  the  last  ten 
years  of  his  life.  He  never  disquieted  himself 
in  vain  about  the  means  of  raising  the  enormous 
sums  that  were  requisite  for  the  establishment 
and  maintenance  of  his  huge  charitable  enter- 
prises. Once  convinced  of  the  necessity  for  the 
work,  he  never  doubted  that  the  money  would 
surely  flow  in.  And  the  sums  that  passed 
through  his  hands,  in  all  his  benevolent  minis- 
trations public  and  private,  can  never  be  ap- 
proximately estimated.  He  seemed  to  have  an 
instinctive  realization  that  what  the  Christian 
public  most  wanted  was  a  safe  and  wise  channel 
for  home  benevolence,  and  he  offered  himself 
as  such  a  medium.  How  nobly  he  fulfilled  the 
function,  institutions  and  lives  innumerable  can 
bear  witness.  It  is  true  of  him  also  that  he,  as 
perhaps  no  other  man  of  his  time,  understood 
the  method  of  teaching  with  skill  and  effect  the 
wealthy  and  the  well-to-do  how  to  give. 


THE  STORY   OF  HIS  LIFE.  39 

There  is  nothing  more  beautiful  in  all  Chris- 
tian biography  than  the  spectacle  of  this  aged 
saint  spending  the  evening  of  his  life  in  the 
labor  of  introducing  such  an  experiment  in 
Christian  brotherhood  as  that  of  his  beloved  St. 
Johnland.  Of  the  joy  that  he  extracted  from 
this  hallowed  employment  through  these  ten 
years  no  pen  may  write.  In  these  serene  days 
of  descending  glory,  so  filled  with  blessed  toil, 
he  had  bread  to  eat  that  the  world  knew  not  of. 

A  touching  incident  is  told  by  the  wife  of  a 
fellow-clergyman  concerning  their  visit  to  the 
cemetery  at  St.  Johnland,  in  wliich  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg broke  out  into  an  earnest  prayer  that  he 
might  be  spared  ten  years  more  of  active  labor 
for  the  Master's  cause,  which  prayer,  like  that  of 
the  pious  Hezekiah  when  the  sun-dial  went  back 
fifteen  degrees,  was  granted  literally,  in  the  fact 
that  ten  years  later,  to  the  very  month,  his  body 
was  carried  to  the  spot  where  his  prayer  had 
been  offered. 

He  died  "  in  the  harness,"  in  accordance  with 
his  often  expressed  ^\^sh.  In  the  spring  of  1874 
he  underwent  his  first  real  iUness,  a  low  malarial 
fever,  from  which,  after  some  months'  suffering, 
he  rallied,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  firm  health 
again.  But  his  wonted  strength  never  returned. 
On  Washington's  Birthday,  1877,  which  he  en- 
thusiastically observed  all  his  life,  he  was  stricken 


40     .    WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

down  with  a  convulsion,  after  having  spent  the 
morning  in  listening  to  poor  people  at  the  hos- 
pital door,  and  in  showing  visitors,  of  whom 
there  was  a  great  crowd,  over  the  building.  He 
suffered  much  pain  and  languor  during  the  six 
weeks  that  followed ;  but  the  serenity  of  his 
Christian  peace  was  not  for  an  hour  disturbed, 
nor  the  light  of  his  holy  joy  beclouded.  The 
strain  of  praise  and  the  note  of  gladness  were 
oftenest  on  his  lips.  The  end  came  on  Sunday 
evening,  April  8th.  The  friend  who  was  most 
intimately  associated  with  his  labor  in  the  last 
thirty  years  of  his  life,  and  whom  his  words  and 
holy  influence  had  induced  to  consecrate  herself 
to  the  life  of  a  Sister,  was  present,  and  clasjjed 
his  hand  at  the  moment  of  release.  His  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  Rogers,  and  a  very  few  relatives  and 
friends,  were  also  at  the  bedside.  A  prayer  was 
offered  by  a  clergyman  who  had  called,  after 
which,  as  they  all  stood  watching,  the  shadow  of 
death  fell  suddenly  upon  the  face,  wliich  told 
them  that  the  weary  spirit  was  at  rest. 


THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE 

SCHOOL  IDEA  IN  AMERICAN 

CHURCH  LIFE. 


"  With  the  schoolmasters,  I  believe,  more  than  -vdth  the 
clergy,  rests  the  shaping  of  that  generation  which  will  decide  in 
a  large  degree  what  the  England  of  the  future  will  be,  —  turbu- 
lent, divided,  self-indulgent,  materialized,  or  quickened  with  a 
power  of  spiritual  sympathy,  striving  tpwards  the  realization 
of  a  national  ideal,  touched  already  with  that  spirit  of  sacrifice 
which  regards  every  gift  of  fortune  and  place  and  character  as 
held  for  the  common  good."  —  Canon  Westcott. 

"  Living  contact  with  the  young  is  a  spring  of  youth.  As 
you  enter  into  their  thoughts,  you  receive  of  their  freshness. 
The  true  teacher  can  never  grow  old.  He  always  hears  the 
children's  voices,  and  can  understand  them."  — Canon  West- 
cott. 

' '  One  great  characteristic  of  holiness  is  never  to  be  exacting, 
—  never  to  complain.  Each  complaint  drags  us  down  a  degree 
in  our  upward  course.  If  you  would  discern  in  whom  God's 
spirit  dwells,  watch  that  person,  and  notice  whether  you  ever 
hear  liim  murmur."  —  Gold  Dust. 

' '  Remember,  this  frail,  evil,  weak  humanity  of  ours,  these 
hearts  that  yield  to  almost  every  gust  of  temptation,  —  the 
Son  of  man  hoped  for  them."  —  F.  W.  Robertson. 


CHAPTER  11. 

THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    SCHOOL    IDEA   IN 
AMERICAN   CHURCH    LIFE. 

In  studying  the  life  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg  as  a 
leader  of  religious  thought,  it  must,  first  of  all, 
never  be  forgotten  that  he  was  in  no  sense  a 
leader,  or  even  a  student,  of  theology.  The 
quality  of  his  mind  was  as  remote  as  possible 
from  the  speculative  habit  of  thought,  and  no 
merely  theological  idea  or  system  ever  kindled 
a  spark  of  enthusiasm  in  his  nature.  He  ac- 
cepted the  main  position  of  the  Thirty-nine 
Articles  without  opposition,  and  recognized  in 
them  the  form  of  sound  words  which  passed  cur- 
rent as  the  orthodoxy  of  the  time.  There  is  no 
evidence  that  he  ever  submitted  his  beliefs  to 
the  test  of  criticism,  or  that  troublesome  doubts 
compelled  him  to  enter  upon  any  lengthened 
process  of  critical  inquiry.  No  trace  of  argu- 
ment or  apology  is  anywhere  to  be  found,  in  his 
records  or  remains,  as  revealing  an  undertone 
of  doubt,  misgiving,  or  distrust. 

And  thus  it  came  to  pass,  for  the  reason  that 


44         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

he  was  seeking  other  results  than  logical  conclu- 
sions, that  his  spiritual  life  was  not  a  matter  of 
correct  o^^inion,  but  of  living  personal  relation 
to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  a  personal  Saviour  ; 
his  absorbing  aim  was  not  the  maintenance  of 
any  set  views,  clear  or  otherwise,  but  the  promo- 
tion of  godliness  in  the  form  of  inward  charac- 
ter and  outward  expression.  In  this  practical 
sphere  the  insight  of  his  genius,  the  range  of  his 
sympathies,  and  the  reach  of  his  mental  activity, 
are  most  remarkable. 

In  this  respect  he  realized  the  mission  of  his 
apostolic  prototype,  the  divine  St.  John,  to 
whom  his  Master  committed  the  care  of  his  be- 
loved mother,  —  the  most  visionary  of  the  disci- 
ples in  this  way  being  charged  with  the  most 
practical  of  duties. 

His  originality  and  foresight  are  conspicuous, 
first  of  all,  in  the  fact  that  he  was  the  first  to 
appreciate  the  necessity  of  Christian  education 
within  the  lines  of  church  life  and  thought ;  and 
it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  a  conception  of 
education  entirely  fresh  and  new  was  given  by 
him  to  the  rapidly  developing  American  com- 
monwealth. "  It  must  not  be  forgotten,"  says  the 
able  biographer  of  his  most  distinguished  pupil 
and  associate,^  "  that  the  very  idea  of  a  church 
school  as  held  by  Dr.  Muldenberg  was  at  that 
^  Life  of  Bishop  Kerfoot,  vol.  i.  p.  33 


DEVELOPMENT  OF   THE  SCHOOL   IDEA.       45 

time  an  entire  novelty  in  our  land."  And  an- 
other, one  of  a  most  distinguished  family  of  edu- 
cators, who  belongs  to  the  second  generation  in 
direct  spiritual  descent  from  Dr.  Muhlenberg,^ 
declares  that  "  the  notion  of  education  as  com- 
plex and  many-sided,  as  an  art  requiring  not 
merely  the  power  to  teach  the  use  of  certain  lan- 
guages or  sciences,  but  also  demanding  skill, 
tact,  knowledge  of  the  world,  generous  sympathy 
with  human  infirmities,  ability  and  quickness  in 
comprehending  the  special  needs  of  individuals, 
genuine  literary  instincts  and  enthusiasms,  and 
a  high  moral  and  intellectual  standard,  has  only 
begun  lately  to  be  fairly  comprehended  in  this 
country.  The  people  of  the  United  States  owe 
to  Dr.  Mulilenberg  and  Bishop  Kerfoot  a  larger 
debt  than  will  probably  ever  be  acknowledged 
for  having  given  to  this  complex  idea  of  educa- 
tion impetus,  development,  and  extension.  .  .  . 
They  were  pioneers  working  in  a  new  country, 
with  scanty  material  and  resources,  scarcely  con- 
scious of  the  real  largeness  of  their  undertaking, 
and  feeling  their  way  to  wider  and  more  compre- 
hensive plans  and  ideas  under  the  severe  train- 
ing of  disappointment,  depreciation,  and  meagre 
support.  They  did  not  come  into  any  broad  and 
direct  contact  with  their  day  and  generation  ;  it 

1  The  Rev.  J.  II.  Coit,  Life  of  Bishop  Kerfoot,  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Hall  Kerfoot,  p.  324 


46         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

was  impossible  that  they  should.  But  their  ex- 
periments, their  failures,  their  ideas,  their  noble 
and  generous  ideals,  —  alas  !  never  fully  realized, 
—  have  been  seeds  which  have  sprung  up  and 
borne  good  fruit.  Others  have  entered  upon 
their  labors,  and  the  result  has  been  the  forma- 
tion and  diffusion  of  notions  and  standards  of 
education  which  are  having  most  beneficial  influ- 
ences throughout  the  land." 

Dr.  Muhlenberg's  enthusiasm  in  education  was 
no  superficial  and  visionary  idolatry  of  a  method, 
but  an  intelligent  devotion  to  an  intelligent  ideal, 
and  an  ideal  of  the  most  noble  and  practical 
kind.  In  his  view,  the  end  of  all  education  is  the 
production  of  the  highest  type  of  individual  and 
corporate  character  ;  and  his  ideal  of  education 
was  a  system  of  culture  in  which  all  the  requisite 
forces  and  factors,  intellectual,  moral,  and  spirit- 
ual, should  be  systematically  organized  to  the 
furtherance  of  this  one  result.  Without  wide  re- 
nown or  influence,  he  yet  combined  a  profound 
penetration  and  practical  judgment  with  the  glad 
devotion  and  subduing  gentleness  of  Pestalozzi. 
The  distinguishing  vice  of  educators  has  always 
been  an  overweening  confidence  in  the  efficacy 
of  some  theoretical  method  of  instruction.  The 
assumption  has  been  that  the  perfect  method 
would  insure  the  perfect  school  and  the  perfect 
education.     The  great  Comenius  was  a  conspic- 


DEVELOPMENT  OF   THE  SCHOOL  IDEA.      47 

uoiis  offender  in  this  regard,  and  even  the  ex- 
cellent treatise  of  ]\Iilton  betrays  its  author's 
lack  of  practical  experience  in  the  teaching  art 
by  its  perpetual  lapses  into  this  besetting  sin ; 
while  the  overrated  work  of  Rousseau  is  little 
more  than  the  impracticable  dream  of  a  con- 
ceited enthusiast.  It  is  characteristic  of  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  that  he  thought  little  and  wrote  less 
about  methods  of  instruction,  while  attaching 
absolute  importance  to  the  living  spirit  of  the 
teacher.  Education  was  not  the  impartation  of 
knowledge,  but  the  communication  of  a  spirit ; 
not  the  training  of  an  intelligence,  but  the  de- 
velopment and  inspiration  of  a  soul ;  not  the 
discijjline  of  powers,  but  the  formation  of  a 
character  ;  not  familiarity  with  principles,  but 
the  perfection  of  manhood.  This  is  a  demand 
which  no  method  can  ever  satisfy,  —  a  task  for 
which  no  method  can  ever  be  adequate.  Had 
this  great  educator's  ideal  of  education  been  less 
exalted  and  noble,  he  doubtless  might  have  fol- 
lowed in  the  beaten  path  of  the  humdrum  school- 
teacher. From  his  own  inner  consciousness  in 
this  case  it  would  have  happened  that  the  per- 
fect theory  of  education  —  method  and  all  com- 
plete —  would  have  been  infallibly  evolved  and 
given  to  the  world  with  the  glib  phraseology  of 
the  soul  -  satisfied  vender  in  educational  wares. 
Another  "  system  "  would  have  been  tabulated 


48         WILLI  A  }f  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

in  the  history  of  pedagogics  ;  another  system- 
maker  would  have  claimed  a  niche  in  the  temple 
of  the  literary  and  educational  bureau.  But  tliis 
was  never  his.  way.  Instead  of  describing  the 
model  system  of  education,  as  Plato  described 
the  model  republic,  he  set  about  in  the  most 
matter-of-fact  manner  to  evolve  his  model  school. 
Instead  of  expending  liis  powers  in  building 
into  symmetry  a  beautiful  and  elaborate  theory 
of  culture,  he  set  to  work  to  produce  the  results 
of  true  education  in  the  shape  of  thoroughly 
developed  men.  We  have  seen  how  much  the 
experiment  cost.  From  the  threshold  of  a  life 
of  assured  success,  and  of  national  if  not  world- 
wide fame  in  his  profession,  he  deliberately  con- 
signed himself  to  years  of  obscurity  and  monot- 
onous drudgery,  with  the  grave  prospect  of  very 
possible  failure  as  his  hope  of  reward  in  this 
world.  Yet  this  is  the  only  true  method  in  edu- 
cation. No  science  of  teaching  can  ever  make 
a  school ;  no  theory  of  method  in  teaching  can 
ever  develop  a  character  and  train  a  soul,  any 
more  than  the  classifications  and  analyses  of  the 
botanist  can  construct  a  flower.  Muhlenberg 
knew  that  what  is  wanted  first  and  always  is  a 
teacher.  And  the  true  teacher  will  find  his  own 
method,  which  will  infallibly  be  the  right  one 
for  him.  The  real  teaching  force  resides  in  the 
individuality  of  the  teacher,  which  the  Lord  has 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  SCHOOL   IDEA.       49 

made  and  not  man,  and  which  is  worth  more 
than  all  the  man-made  methods  in  the  books. 
The  only  stimulating  force  in  the  realm  of 
spirit  is  spirit ;  the  one  creative  and  inspiring 
agency  in  the  domain  of  character  is  character  ; 
just  as  the  indispensable  condition  prerequisite 
to  the  development  of  mind  is  the  presence  of 
other  minds.  Thus  the  "  method  "  of  Dr.  Muh- 
lenberg, in  so  far  as  he  can  be  said  to  have  pos- 
sessed one,  was  the  personal  method,  —  the 
method  of  love,  of  individual  interest  and  per- 
sonal contact  as  the  moral  and  spiritual  force 
essential  to  that  rounding  of  the  manhood  which 
is  the  test  of  all  true  education. 

In  this  respect  there  is  but  one  of  the  many 
who  have  won  renown  in  this  great  calling  with 
whom  he  may  be  justly  compared.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  lay  the  finger  on  a  passage  in  biogra- 
phy at  once  so  touching  and  so  sublime  as  that 
in  which  the  heroic  Pestalozzi  details  the  simple 
joys  of  his  passionate  self-devotion  to  the  deso- 
late children  of  the  Unter-walden,  whom  he  gath- 
ered out  of  their  destitution  after  the  French 
invasion  of  1798  :  — 

"  I  was  from  morning  till  evening  almost  alone 
among  them.  Everything  which  was  done  for  their 
body  or  soul  proceeded  from  my  hand.  Every  assist- 
ance, every  help  in  time  of  need,  every  teaching  which 
they  received,  came  immediately  from  me.     My  hand 


60  WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

lay  in  their  hand,  my  eye  rested  on  their  eye,  my 
tears  flowed  with  theirs,  and  my  laughter  accompa- 
nied theirs.  They  were  out  of  the  world  ;  they  were 
with  me  and  I  was  with  them.  Their  soup  was  mine, 
their  drink  was  mine.  Were  they  well,  I  stood  in 
their  midst ;  were  they  iU,  I  slept  in  the  middle  of 
them.  I  was  the  last  who  went  to  bed  at  night,  the 
first  who  rose  in  the  morning.  Even  in  bed  I  prayed 
and  taught  with  them  until  they  were  asleep.  They 
wished  it  to  be  so." 

Setting  aside  tlie  adventitious  patlios  of  the 
great  Swiss  teacher's  situation  at  that, time,  aris- 
ing from  the  circumstance  that  these  children 
had  been  left  houseless  and  parentless,  to  starve 
and  perish  by  the  accident  of  war,  the  words 
might  be  taken  as  a  fair  and  accurate  represen- 
tation of  Dr.  Muldenberg's  affectionate  devo- 
tion to  the  boys  of  his  school.  He  gave  himself 
wholly  to  his  pupils.  The  yearning  of  his  heart 
for  them  was  as  strong  and  true  and  tender  as 
that  of  a  father  for  his  cliildren.  He  has  been 
called  an  apostle  to  boys ;  and  it  is  impossible  to 
read  the  record  of  liis  relations  with  his  pupils, 
to  hear  the  narratives  and  anecdotes  related  by 
those  of  them  still  living,  without  being  reminded 
forcibly  of  those  outpourings  of  tenderness  and 
expressions  of  attachment  with  which  St.  Paul 
was  wont  to  speak  to  the  Corinthians  and  the 
Philippians.     The  secret  of  his  power  was  in 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  SCHOOL  IDEA.       51 

the  strong,  true  love  of  that  Spirit  whose  out- 
goings are  recorded  in  the  words  of  the  seven- 
teenth chapter  of  St.  John. 

The  joy  of  his  soul  for  his  dear  boys  was  ever 
that  joy  of  the  apostle  of  old  when  he  wrote :  — 

"  I  thank  my  God  that  in  everything  ye  are  en- 
riched by  Him  in  all  utterance,  and  in  all  knowledge, 
so  that  ye  come  behind  in  no  gift." 

This  ulterior  aim  of  developing  character  in 
the  pupils  settled  the  type,  dominated  the  ad- 
ministration, and  shaped  the  entire  policy  of  the 
school.  In  the  selection  of  associates  in  the 
work,  the  character,  spirit,  and  aim  of  the  teacher 
were  ever  of  paramount  importance  with  him. 
Whatever  the  abilities  and  aptitudes  of  the  in- 
dividual as  a  mere  instructor,  if  his  influence 
and  example  were  not  positive  and  persistent 
toward  the  elevation  of  the  pupils  to  the  plane 
of  the  noblest  Christian  manhood,  he  lacked,  in 
Dr.  Muhlenberg's  estimation,  the  essential  qual- 
ification of  a  teacher.  He  required  of  his  assist- 
ants, in  the  sacred  work  to  which  he  had  conse- 
crated his  energies,  that  they  should  be  men  of 
like  spirit,  aims,  and  ideals  with  himself. 

He  could  not  risk  the  exposure  of  the  plastic 
souls  committed  to  his  care  beneath  the  influ- 
ence of  any  instructor  who  esteemed  education 
as  less  than  a  holy  calling  in  the  truest  sense, 


52  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

and  one  involving  tlie  weightiest  responsibilities. 
The  formation  of  such  an  educational  staff  about 
him  was,  of  course,  the  result  of  a  patient  pro- 
cess of  intelligent  selection,  and  survival  of  the 
fittest ;  and  it  is  no  matter  of  astonishment  that, 
toward  the  close  of  this  epoch  of  his  life,  his 
corps  of  assistants  was  very  largely  composed  of 
men  who  had  received  their  education  and  the 
bent  of  their  characters  from  him.  The  collec- 
tion and  training  of  such  a  body  of  teachers  was 
one  of  the  most  important  services  of  his  life  ; 
for  their  influence  and  active  labors  after  his  re- 
tirement from  the  work  served  to  perpetuate  and 
determine  the  type  of  church  school  which  he 
originated,  whose  power  and  influence  and  rap- 
idly advancing  importance  we  behold  on  every 
side  to-day.  His  method  of  moral  training  by 
personal  influence,  contact,  and  example  ren- 
dered it  necessary  that  the  school  should  be  or- 
ganized and  ordered  after  the  pattern  of  the 
Christian  family.  No  other  type  of  constitution 
or  administration  would  have  afforded  scope  and 
opportunity  for  that  relation  of  personal  inti- 
macy between  the  teacher  and  the  taught  which 
he  esteemed  above  every  other  instrumentality 
in  the  education  of  youth.  Accordingly  master, 
teachers,  and  pupils,  lived  and  slept  under  the 
same  roof,  ate  from  the  same  table,  and  felt 
equally  at  home  in  the  school  family. 


DEVELOPMENT    OF   THE   SCHOOL  IDEA.        53 

The  internal  regime  of  the  school,  both  with 
reference  to  study  and  discipline,  was  extremely 
simple,  natural,  and  effective.  For  purposes  of 
discipline,  the  whole  number  of  boys  was  divided 
into  sections  of  twelve.  Each  section  was  un- 
der the  leadership  of  a  "  prefect."  These  pre- 
fects were  chosen  from  among  the  older  pupils 
■with  reference  to  their  character  and  qualifi- 
cations for  the  work  of  influencing  or  restrain- 
ing those  whom  they  were  ajspointed  to  lead 
and  control.  They  were  boys  of  settled  habits 
and  determined  principles,  some  of  them  hav- 
ing the  sacred  ministry  in  view  ;  and  yet  their 
position  as  pupils  left  them  within  the  range  of 
mutual  sympathy  between  them  and  their  charge, 
which  made  their  influence  effective,  because  the 
personal  connection  was  not  broken  by  an  im- 
penetrable wall  of  class  separation  between  the 
governing  and  the  governed. 

In  the  matter  of  discipline  Dr.  Muhlenberg 
was  absolutely  independent  of  any  extraneous 
considerations  or  control.  No  pecuniary  neces- 
sities of  the  establislunent  were  ever  allowed 
to  stand  between  a  pupil  of  pestilent  influence 
and  the  dismissal  or  rigorous  discipline  de- 
manded by  the  higher  interests  of  the  school. 
Such  cases  were  rare,  of  course,  yet  now  and 
then  it  was  necessary  that  a  corrupting  pupil, 
who  had  gained  an  entrance  to  the  school  in 


54         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

spite  of  all  precautionary  measures,  sliould  be 
dismissed  by  a  severe  ^and  peremptory  jjrocess. 
It  was  always  clearly  understood,  however,  on 
receiving  a  boy,  that  he  was  to  be  returned  if 
for  any  reason,  moral  or  otherwise,  it  was  deemed 
better  and  safer  he  should  not  remain.  Par- 
ental control  and  authority  were  always  and  un- 
conditionally delegated  to  the  rector  during 
term  time,  which  was  always  so  arranged  as  to 
include  the  great  church  festivals.  There  was 
rarely  occasion  for  severity,  and  never  any  sug- 
gestion of  harshness,  in  the  government  of  the 
school.  The  tact  and  Christian  love  of  the 
school  father,  the  wisdom  of  his  regulations,  the 
firmness  of  his  will,  and  the  spirit  and  atmos- 
phere of  the  establishment,  were  such  as  gave 
to  the  school  the  character  of  a  well-ordered 
Christian  household  where  discipline  was  rarely 
needed,  because  obedience  and  love  were  the 
habit  and  temper  of  the  common  life. 

In  the  dejDartment  of  intellectual  culture,  his 
fidelity  was  in  no  respect  inferior  to  that  dis- 
played in  point  of  discipline  or  moral  training. 
Although  regarding  religion  as  the  flower  and 
fruit  of  culture,  and  of  paramount  importance  in 
the  development  of  character,  yet  it  was  one  of 
his  maxims  constantly  enforced,  that  "  religion 
should  never  be  held  to  account  for  inferior 
scholarship."     The  exclusion  of  emulation  as  a 


DEVELOPMENT   OF  THE  SCHOOL   IDEA.       55 

motive  to  exertion  in  study,  was  a  principle  from 
which  he  never  departed.  Competition  for 
grade,  or  a  prize  in  any  form,  was  never  allowed. 
He  entertained  the  firm  conviction  that  such  a 
method  and  such  motives  were  damaging  to 
character.  Emulation  he  considered  evil  in  its 
influence,  and  incapable  of  being  employed  to 
any  salutary  end  in  education.  As  an  incentive 
he  held  it  to  be  an  unhealthful  stimulant,  and 
injurious  to  the  moral  principle. 

The  religious  culture  and  influence  of  the 
school  was  a  unique  and  triumphant  achieve- 
ment of  Dr.  Muhlenberg  as  an  educator.  When 
one  thinks  of  the  dreary,  dead  perfunctoriness 
of  the  ordinary  American  college  chapel  service, 
with  its  stereotyped  formalism,  and  its  stale,  un- 
profitable monotony,  one  is  filled  with  an  instan- 
taneous impulse  of  thankfulness  for  the  spiritual 
genius  who  permanently  succeeded  in  making 
attractive  and  helpful  to  all  what  had  always  be- 
fore been  regarded,  by  the  average  youth,  with 
instinctive  aversion  and  dislike.  The  enthusi- 
asm with  which  surviving  "  College  Pointers  " 
detail  their  recollections  of  these  exercises  is 
equaled  only  by  their  affectionate  tributes  to 
the  memory  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg.  It  was  the 
pervading  effect  of  their  master's  personality, 
indeed,  that  lent  one  great  element  of  attraction 
to  these  services.     His  impressive  presence,  the 


56  WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

simple  force  and  naturalness  of  his  noble  man- 
ner and  bearing,  imparted  an  inevitable  charm 
to  everything  he  did.  But  the  style  of  service 
which  he  instituted  had  a  power  peculiarly  its 
own,  independently  of  any  personal  influence  or 
accidental  circumstance.  Dr.  Muhlenberg  was 
a  genuine  poet,  and  the  chapel  observance  was 
the  reahzed  action  of  the  divine  poetry  inherent 
in  Christian  truth  and  the  spirit  of  worship.  He 
has  been  variously  regarded  by  diverse  factions 
in  his  own  communion  as  the  Coryphaeus  of  ex- 
treme ritual  practice  in  this  country  from  his 
having  come  under  the  spell  of  the  Puseyite  or 
Oxford  movement  of  that  day.  No  imputation 
was  ever  more  absurd  ;  no  intended  compliment 
was  ever  so  untrue  to  fact,  while  at  the  same  time 
ignoring  the  real  originality  and  merit  of  the 
service  which  it  was  designed  to  exalt.  Years 
before  the  Oxford  movement  had  excited  a  rip- 
ple on  the  Dead  Sea  of  that  supercilious  self- 
complacency  which  Anglican  sacramentalism 
had  presented  for  two  hundred  years,  a  full 
decade  before  Evangelicalism  had  been  roused 
from  its  dogmatic  slumbers  to  the  pitch  of  sud- 
den frenzy  by  the  Oxford  heresy,  the  services  at 
Flushing  Institute  were  conducted  on  a  basis  of 
elaborate  and  varied  ritual,  and  ornamented  with 
all  the  adjuncts  of  the  most  advanced  require- 
ments.    The  difference  between  the  Oxford  rit- 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  SCHOOL   IDEA.       57 

ual  and  that  at  the  school  in  Long  Island  was, 
that  the  latter  was  directed  by  a  man  of  too 
catholic  a  temper  to  admit  of  ever  being  wedded 
to  any  abstract  theory  as  to  its  significance,  or  of 
being  tied  to  any  routine  of  unvarying  form.  To 
use  his  own  words,  "  The  ritualism  we  practiced 
was  certainly  not  of  the  Romish  type,  but  the 
product  of  imagination  in  accordance  with  the 
verities  of  our  religion."  "  Everything  tended," 
says  one  of  his  school  sons,^  "  in  the  service  of  the 
chapel,  to  bring  out  the  religion  of  the  heart." 
And  the  venerated  school  father,  with  his  jaoet's 
soul,  understood  the  human  heart  well  enough  to 
know  that  it  would  not  grow  its  religion  from  a 
dry  bulb.  The  religion  of  the  heart  is  not  of  the 
naked  cactus  kind  that  is  evolved  from  desert 
sand,  but  a  product  adorned  Avitli  every  grace 
and  beauty  of  form,  and  enriched  with  all  the 
varied  charms  of  foliage  and  flower.  He  viewed 
human  nature  in  its  complexity,  and  with  the 
genius  of  a  King  David  or  a  St.  Gregory  he  saw 
that  the  religion  of  the  chapel,  as  of  the  temple, 
must  not  be  a  bare  stock  on  a  wintry  moorland, 
but  a  luxuriant  j^lant,  in  full  tropical  magnifi- 
cence of  bloom,  beneath  the  radiance  of  heaven's 
most  joyous  and  benignant  light.  And  because 
the  living  soul  of  the  poet  would  not  suffer  the 
form  to  become  stereotyped  and  changeless,  so 
^  The  Rev.  Ormes  B.  Keith,  in  a  private  letter. 


58         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUULENBtRG. 

that  a  prosaic  interpretation  might  be  forced 
upon  it,  no  alarm  was  felt  for  his  influence  or 
example  in  the  matter.  What  these  chapel  ex- 
ercises were,  is  best  related  in  the  words  of  one 
who  was  associated  with  him  in  different  capaci- 
ties, as  boy  and  man,  during  all  the  years  of  his 
educational  career  :  ^  — 

"  The  chapel  services  incited  every  mind  to  holy 
thought  and  every  heart  to  virtuous  desire.  There 
the  father  ministered  as  at  a  family  altar.  He  was 
always  the  father,  though  clad  in  priestly  vestment. 
Those  services  were  seldom  forgotten  by  those  who 
once  felt  their  blessed  influence.  They  were  strictly 
churchly,  though  not  after  any  stereotyped  formula. 
Men  of  mature  years  and  old  men  have  told  me  that 
the  memory  of  these  chapel  services  held  them 
through  life  firm  to  the  gospel  of  Jesus  ;  that  sweet 
ritual  observance,  genuine  Christian  ritualism,  with 
incense  and  lights,  with  pictures  and  flowers,  kept 
them  loyal  to  the  church.  There  was  nothing  per- 
functoi'y :  every  word  and  act  were  real,  true  to  the 
sjjirit  of  that  Protestant  Evangelical  Churchmanship 
which  is  the  tower  of  strength,  the  sure  refuge  of 
gospel  faith.  Matins,  vespers,  and  a  brief  noonday 
service,  attendance  upon  which  was  voluntary,  made 
up  the  worship  of  every  day.  The  impressive  read- 
ing of  Holy  Scripture,  the  solemn  chanting  of  Psalms, 
the  fervent  intei'cessions,  often  fresh  from  the  father's 

^  The  Rev.  Libertus  Van  Bokkelen,  D.  D.^  in  The  Church- 
man. 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  SCHOOL   IDEA.       59 

heart,  the  litanies  selected  from  ancient  missals  and 
adapted  to  special  seasons,  made  it  a  privilege  and 
pleasure  to  go  to  the  oratory  and  be  there  with  God. 

"  Each  holy  day  was  observed,  not  only  in  chapel 
services,  but  in  the  routine  of  academic  exercises. 
Christmas  and  Easter  were  gorgeous  festivals.  Holy 
Week  was  holy  indeed,  with  penitential  confessions 
and  prayers ;  its  solemn  Miserere  culminating  in  the 
impressive  office  of  Good  Friday,  when  the  altar  was 
vested  with  black,  and  over  it  hung  the  picture  of 
the  crucifixion. 

"  Thus  many  a  young  rebellious  spirit  was  softened, 
bound  by  the  cords  of  love  ;  many  a  heart  awakened 
to  earnest  love  and  adoration  of  the  Lamb  of  God 
who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  or  as  it  was 
sung,  Agnus  Dei  qui  j^eccata  mundi  tolUs,  miserere 
nobis. 

"  Seasons  of  joy  were  the  Feasts  of  the  Nativity 
and  Resurrection.  Then  the  chapel  was  brilliant  and 
fragrant.  The  altar  wore  its  vestment  of  white  and 
shone  with  lights.  There  was  the  picture  of  the 
Madonna  wreathed  with  evergreens,  surrounded  by 
flowers  exhaling  fragrance  as  incense  to  the  Lord. 
This  was  the  beginning  and  the  perfection  of  aesthetic 
ritualism.  There  was  no  school  vacation  at  Christmas 
and  Easter,  no  scattering  of  the  school  family.  The 
sjnritual  father  kept  his  si)iritual  children  by  his  side, 
and  good  was  it  for  them  that  so  he  did.  It  gave  real- 
ity to  his  ministrations,  and  left  a  life-long  benedic- 
tion upon  all  who  thus  learned  to  worship  God  in 
the  beauty  of  holiness.     The  potency  of  the  teachings 


60  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

in  chapel,  in  family  worship,  and  in  voluntary  meet- 
ing was  in  the  one  word  Jesus,  the  name  ahove  every 
name,  —  Jesus,  the  perfection  and  the  power  of  the 
Divine  Love.  ...  If  ever  Jesus  was  in  an  earthly 
home,  all  in  all,  his  teachings  the  inspiration,  his  ex- 
ample the  rule,  it  was  in  that  home  where  William 
Augustus  Muhlenberg,  the  apostle  to  the  young,  fed 
the  lambs  of  Christ's  flock. 

"  These  chapel  services,  as  has  been  said,  ante- 
dated that  general  revival  of  ritual  which  came  with 
the  teaching  of  Keble's  "  Christian  Year,"  when  tlie 
Flushing  Institute  was  the  only  true  Christian  family 
school  of  our  church,  when  Lent  was  not  kept  with 
daily  prayer,  and  when  Christmas  was  a  day  of 
merry-making.  Thus  the  school  at  Flushing  was  a 
teacher  of  the  whole  church.  Seed  was  then  sown 
of  which  we  are  now  reaping  a  rich  and  blessed  har- 
vest. Honor  to  him  who  began  the  good  work,  in 
which  thousands  now  rejoice,  when  church  schools 
are  in  every  diocese,  and  Christian  teaching  is  yield- 
ing abundant  fruit,  to  the  glory  of  God  and  for  the 
kingdom  of  his  dear  Son." 

It  is  impossible  at  this  late  date  to  reproduce 
one  of  these  school  services,  for  they  varied  in 
character,  and  were  all  hinged  upon  the  person- 
ality of  the  master  mind  which  presided  over 
them.  But  the  parent  at  St.  Paul's  School, 
Concord,  who  has  felt  the  wonderful  influence 
of  the  Coit  brothers  there,  in  the  growing  char- 
acter and  forming  habits  of   his  boy  who  has 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  SCHOOL    IDEA.       61 

been  left  to  their  eminently  wise  and  tender  care, 
can  see,  in  these  peculiarly  "  tender  Shepherd  " 
ministrations,  the  spirit  o£  Him  who  taught  these 
teachers,  and  can  catch  something  of  what  these 
school  services  must  have  been. 

The  extent  and  effect  of  Dr.  Mulilenberg's 
personal  labors  for  the  individual  religious  wel- 
fare of  his  pupils  can  never  be  estimated.  In 
this  direction  his  efforts  and  influence  were  un- 
tiring and  most  effective.  This  was  the  supreme 
aim  of  all  his  toil  and  striving,  the  development 
and  discipline  of  a  genuinely  Christian  character 
and  temper  in  his  boys.  But  from  the  nature 
of  such  personal  work,  its  methods  and  results 
must  continue  unknown.  The  fragmentary  ves- 
tiges and  isolated  reminiscences  that  yet  remain 
of  his  work  in  this  direction  afford  ample  evi- 
dence, however,  of  the  personal  interest  with 
which  he  watched,  and  strove,  and  prayed  for 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  each  individual  pupil,  as 
well  as  the  deep  and  true  affection  with  which 
his  heart  went  out  towards  every  boy  entrusted 
to  his  care  and  keeping.  As  his  acquaintance 
with  each  one  grew,  and  his  interest  in  him 
increased,  his  manner,  while  it  never  repelled 
by  any  exuberant  demonstrations,  nevertheless 
made  itself  felt  by  the  recipient  as  the  unfeigned 
expression  of  an  almost  parental  tenderness. 
The  religious  life  was,  in  his  view,  but  one  as- 


62  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

pect  of  the  man,  one  pervading  and  inseparable 
element  of  the  comj)leted  character;  and  there- 
fore the  method  by  which  he  endeavored  to 
awaken  and  cultivate  the  religious  principle  in 
youth  was  the  same  as  that  by  which  he  strove  to 
develop  manhood  in  them;  it  was  the  personal 
method.  In  doing  the  work  of  the  Master  he 
pursued  the  method  of  the  Master,  because  he 
had  the  spirit  of  the  Master,  —  the  spirit  that 
sought  out  the  young  man  whom  the  Jews  had 
put  out  of  the  synagogue  for  being  healed  of  his 
blindness,  and  revealed  to  him  the  secret  of  his 
mission ;  the  spirit  that  looked  on  the  rich  young 
man  and  loved  him ;  that  quietly  said  to  Judas, 
withoiit  a  look  or  tone  or  syllable  of  harshness, 
"  What  thou  doest,  do  quicldy ;  "  that  sent  the 
personal  message,  "  Go  tell  my  disciples  and 
Peter ; "  that  patiently  convinced  the  despondent 
Thomas,  —  "  Reach  hither  thy  finger  and  behold 
my  hand,  and  reach  hither  thy  hand  and  thrust 
it  into  my  side,  and  be  not  faithless  but  believ- 
inof."  He  made  himseK  the  servant  of  each  for 
Jesus'  sake,  in  the  conviction  that  hmnan  char- 
acters are  saved  and  nurtured  only  by  immediate 
personal  contact  and  sympathy  in  the  fellowship 
of  love. 

Many  a  pupil  of  his,  who  grew  to  large  useful- 
ness and  high  eminence  in  Christian  character, 
owed   his  first  inspiration  to  the  holy  example 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  SCHOOL  IDEA.       63 

and  affectionate,  faithful  words  of  his  preceptor, 
uttered  in  private,  with  all  his  own  inimitable 
naturalness  and  earnest  solicitude.  More  than 
one  such  has  told  the  writer  of  the  doctor's  warm 
embrace,  and  tearful  words  of  sympathy,  in  some 
sad  hour  of  parting  or  of  grief. 

Yet  he  was  ever  bubbling  over  with  the  most 
genial  and  sparkling  humor.  None  knew  better 
than  he  how  effective  a  weapon  humor  is  in  the 
management  of  boys,  and  none  knew  better  how 
to  use  it.  The  anecdotes  of  his  felicitous  repar- 
tees and  droll  sayings  are  numberless.  A  sin- 
gle instance,  selected  for  its  brevity,  must  here 
suffice. 

The  clerical  members  of  the  faculty  at  college 
were  accustomed  to  take  tui'ns  at  preaching  in 
the  Sunday  afternoon  services.  The  young  man 
who  had  charge  of  the  chapel  music,  on  going 
one  Sunday  to  the  rector  for  the  hymns  to  be 
used  that  afternoon,  was  asked  whose  turn  it 
was  to  preach.  At  the  mention  of  the  name 
the  doctor,  turning  quickly  with  a  merry  twin- 
kle in  his  eye,  replied,  "Now  I  lay  me  down  to 
sleep." 

His  power  over  these  young  lives,  and  his 
success  in  moulding  them  to  something  of  his 
own  ideal  of  character,  were  the  fruit  of  a  very 
close  and  well-kept  Christian  life.  Like  the 
turbine  in  the  wheel-pit,  the  sources  of  his  power 


64  WILLI  AM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

were  hidden,  yet  they  streamed  in  on  him  from 
above.  The  outside  world  saw  only  the  swift  and 
glistening  machinery  of  his  outward  life,  or  ad- 
mired its  finished  product ;  but  now  and  then 
a  friend  would  get  a  casual  glimpse  of  the  j^on- 
derous  wheels,  far  down  in  the  secret  depths  of 
his  being,  which  moved  it  all,  as  they  themselves 
were  moved,  by  the  strong  currents  of  Divine 
impulsion.  The  stern  vigilance  of  self  which  he 
continually  employed;  the  silent  hours  of  medi- 
tation, prayer,  and  fellowship  with  Jesus,  by 
which  he  kept  the  fountains  of  his  loving  energy 
continually  fresh  and  running  over,  —  can  be 
guessed  at  only  from  a  perusal  of  his  private 
journal. 

Such  were  a  few  of  the  leading  lines  of  his 
method  and  some  of  his  distinguishing  charac- 
teristics as  an  educator.  In  thus  analyzing  his 
work  we  have  been  studying  the  source  of  one  of 
the  most  beneficent  influences  in  Christian  edu- 
cation. In  that  great  movement  toward  making 
education  distinctly  Chi-istian,  which  is  rapidly 
assuming  national  proportions,  he  was  unques- 
tionably the  pioneer ;  he  saw  the  movement  well 
under  way  and  assured  of  ultimate  success  before 
he  withdrew  personally  from  the  work.  During 
the  years  of  his  experiment  at  Flushing  and 
College  Point,  church  schools,  under  the  stim- 
ulus of  his  ideas,  example,  and  success,  rapidly 


DEVELOPMENT   OF  THE  SCHOOL   IDEA.       65 

became  the  fashion.  Indeed,  it  was  one  of  the 
evils  incident  to  the  novel  character  of  the  work, 
that  the  number  of  schools  grew  more  rapidly 
than  was  consistent  with  the  high  standard  he 
had  set.  Teachers  with  the  requisite  qualifica- 
tions for  the  kind  of  work  could  not  be  obtained 
in  sufficient  numbers.  He  was  besieged  with 
applications,  by  bishops  of  the  church  and  others 
who  were  founding  similar  schools,  for  teachers 
trained  by  liimself.  In  a  letter  to  Bishop 
Whittingham,  of  Maryland,  regretting  his  in- 
ability to  furnish  a  classical  teacher  whom  the 
bishop  had  begged  him  to  send,  he  declared: 
"Almost  every  week  I  am  making  the  same 
reply  to  similar  applications.  Teachers  for 
church  schools  are  now  the  demand  everywhere, 
and  of  the  right  kind  they  are  not  to  be  found." 
He  had  previously,  however  (1841),  in  response 
to  the  bishop's  importunity,  consented  to  give 
up  his  trusted  assistant  and  right-hand  man  at 
College  Point,  —  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Kerf oot,  after- 
wards first  Bishop  of  Pittsburgh,  —  in  order  to 
insure  the  successful  inauguration  of  St.  James' 
Hall  —  afterwards  the  College  of  St.  James  — 
in  accordance  with  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  princlj)les 
and  methods.  The  thrilling  story  of  this  insti- 
tution and  its  relation  to  St.  Paul's,  College 
Point,  has  been  inimitably  told  by  the  Rev.  Hall 
Harrison,  in  his  very  interesting  and  masterly 


66  WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

biography  of  Bishop  Kerfoot.  Both  St.  Paul's 
and  St.  James'  are  now  no  more ;  but  "  the  work 
of  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  and  of  St.  James'  College 
modified  and  in  many  ways  improved,  yet,  after 
all,  essentially  the  same,  took  a  new  start,  and 
still  lives  at  St.  Paul's  School,  Concord,  New 
Hampshire.  For  it  was  his  friendship  with 
Kerfoot  and  his  observation  of  the  actual  work- 
ing of  St.  James'  that  first  inspired  that  most 
helpful  layman  of  Massachusetts,  Dr.  George  C. 
Shattuck,  of  Boston,  with  the  thought  of  found- 
ing a  similar  school  for  the  church  in  New  Eng- 
land. He  secured  for  its  head  one  who  had  been 
both  a  disciple  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  and  an  asso- 
ciate of  Kerfoot  in  the  College  of  St.  James,  — 
the  Rev.  Henry  Augustus  Coit,  who,  working 
with  his  brother  the  vice-rector,  also  a  St.  James 
man,  has  made  St.  Paul's  what  it  is  to-day,  the 
most  famous  of  all  our  church  schools."  ^ 

Thus  the  Mulilenberg  ideal  in  education  has 
easily  maintained  its  prerogative  of  leadership 
and  commanding  influence  over  all  schools  of  its 
type,  through  successive  institutions  and  epochs 
from  the  time  of  its  origin  to  our  own. 

Dr.  Muhlenberg's  service  as  a  leader  in  the 
cause  of  Christian  education  was  twofold:  first, 
in  awakening  a  general  interest  in  the  public 
mind  upon  the  subject :  and  secondly,  in  illus- 

^  liife  of  Bishop  Kerfoot,  vol.  i.  pp.  47,  48. 


DEVELOPMENT   OF   THE  SCHOOL   IDEA.       67 

trating  by  his  own  practical  experiment  the  true 
method  and  aim  of  all  education.  It  is  difficult 
for  us  at  this  distant  day  to  realize  how  con- 
spicuous his  service  was  in  the  first  of  these 
particulars,  and  how  crying  was  the  need  of  it. 
Within  his  own  communion,  church  schools  were 
unknown.  Such  schools  as  did  exist  were  pri- 
vate enterprises  on  a  purely  business  or  pecu- 
niary and  secular  basis.  Education  was  never 
dreamed  of  as  a  sacred  calling  to  be  controlled 
by  the  loftiest  ideals,  and  demanding  the  most 
thorough  and  responsible  oversight  of  the  church. 
But  through  eighteen  years  of  consecrated  per- 
sonal toil  Dr.  Muhlenberg  wrought  a  complete 
educational  reformation  within  his  own  branch 
of  the  church.  Church  schools  of  the  t}^e  con- 
ceived by  him  sprang  up  on  every  hand,  and 
have  continued  to  multiply  with  unabated  rapid- 
ity and  increasing  success  down  to  the  present 
time.  The  whole  subsequent  educational  move- 
ment and  life  of  the  church  was  inaugurated  by 
him,  and  is  as  distinctly  traceable  to  him  as  the 
historic  river  Rhine  is  traceable  to  the  little 
lake  in  the  Spliigen  Pass  from  which  it  has  its 
source.  And  this  result  he  achieved,  not  by 
noisy  agitation,  but  by  the  force  of  quiet  exam- 
ple and  patient  experiment.  A  firm  believer  in 
organic  or  institutional  Christianity,  he  was  con- 
vinced that  the  office  of  the  Christian  church  is 


68         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

not  merely  to  evangelize,  but  also  to  educate  in 
every  highest  and  best  sense  of  the  word ;  and 
that  this  latter  function  of  the  church  is  more 
laborious,  and  more  persistent  in  its  demands, 
than  the  other. 

This  conviction  is  now  rapidly  becoming  uni- 
versal, as  the  schools  at  Concord,  Groton,  and 
Southborough,  testify.  The  other  contribution 
by  w^hich  he  placed  the  educational  world  under 
obligation  to  him  was  of  a  more  general  char- 
acter, and  more  decidedly  original.  It  is  quite 
safe  to  affirm  that  the  prevalent  ideal  before 
Dr.  Mulilenberg's  day,  with  regard  to  the  aim 
of  education,  was  generically  different  from  that 
which  he  enunciated.  The  object  of  education, 
as  popularly  conceived  among  us,  was  intel- 
lectual, as  distinguished  from  a  moral  or  spirit- 
ual result.  That  totality  of  the  man  which  we 
term  character  was  not  taken  into  the  account 
in  framing  the  popidar  ideal  of  the  end  of  edu- 
cation. The  moral  and  spiritual  elements  of 
the  individual  oi'ganization  were  disregarded 
in  making  up  the  estimate  of  a  finished  educa- 
tion, being  looked  upon  rather  as  separate  com- 
partments which  might  be  fitted  up  for  use  on 
Sundays  in  church  or  elsewhere,  but  with  which 
education,  properly  speaking,  had  nothing  to 
do.  It  had  relation  only  or  chiefly  to  the  intel- 
ligence, to  the  development  and  training  of  the 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  SCHOOL   IDEA.       69 

intellectual  faculty.  To  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  in- 
fluence, more  than  to  any  other  American,  is 
due  the  fact  that  this  false  ideal  has  been  grad- 
ually revolutionized,  or  rather  has  been  sup- 
planted by  the  opposite  conception,  which  is 
destined  at  no  distant  day  to  work  a  signal 
transformation  of  our  whole  educational  system 
and  machinery. 

As  to  the  method  by  which  the  true  end  of 
education  is  to  be  reached,  his  example  will 
ever  remain  much  more  valuable  even  than  the 
manner  of  his  technique.  The  spiritual  insight 
and  instinct  which  led  him  to  expect  compara- 
tively little  result  from  the  mere  inculcation  of 
abstract  principles  or  concrete  facts,  and  to  at- 
tach supreme  importance  to  the  individuality 
and  personal  influence  of  the  teacher,  reveal  the 
genius  of  the  true  educator.  His  was  the 
method  of  the  Divine  Teacher.  Having  the 
perfection  of  character  as  the  ideal  end  of  edu- 
cation, he  perceived  with  the  intuitive  glance  of 
the  seer  that  character  could  not  be  formed  by 
precept,  rule,  and  dogma,  but  only  by  its  exem- 
plification in  the  daily  and  hourly  relation  of 
the  teacher  with  the  taught ;  in  other  words,  by 
incarnating  and  transfusing  the  spirit  of  love  by 
means  of  all  the  manners,  tempers,  words,  and 
actions  of  the  teacher's  life. 


70         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

"  God  has  conceded  two  sights  to  a  man : 
One  of  men's  whole  work,  Time's  completed  plan ; 
The  other  of  the  minutest  work,  man's  first 
Step  to  the  plan's  completeness :  what 's  dispersed 
Save  hope  of  that  supreme  step  which,  descried 
Earliest,  was  meant  still  to  remain  untried 
Only  to  give  you  heart  to  take  your  own 
Step  and  there  stay  —  leaving  the  rest  alone  ?  " 

Robert  Bkowning,  Sordello. 


THE   TYPE   OF   CHURCHMANSHIP 

OF  WHICH  MUHLENBERG 

WAS  THE  CREATOR. 


" St.  Bernard  has  said :  'Man,  if  tliou  desirest  a  noble  and 
holy  life,  and  unceasingly  prayest  to  God  for  it,  if  thou  con- 
tinue constant  in  this  thy  desire,  it  'will  he  granted  unto  thee 
without  fail,  even  if  only  at  the  day  and  hour  of  thy  death ; 
and  if  God  should  not  give  it  to  thee  then,  thou  shalt  find  it 
in  Him  in  eternity:  of  this  he  assured.'  Therefore  do  not 
relinquish  your  desire,  though  it  he  not  fulfilled  immediately, 
or  though  you  may  swerve  from  your  aspirations,  or  even 
forget  them  for  a  time.  .  .  .  The  love  and  aspiration  which 
once  really  existed  live  forever  before  God,  and  in  Him  ye 
shall  find  the  fruit  thereof ;  that  is,  to  all  eternity  it  shall  be 
better  for  you  than  if  you  had  never  felt  them."  — J.  Tact- 

LEK. 

' '  That  which  befits  us,  embosomed  in  beauty  and  wonder  as 
we  are,  is  cheerfulness,  and  courage,  and  the  endeavor  to  real- 
ize otir  aspirations.  Shall  not  the  heart,  which  has  received  so 
much,  trust  the  Power  by  which  it  lives  ?  May  it  not  quit 
other  leadings,  and  listen  to  the  Soul  that  has  guided  it  so 
gently,  and  taught  it  so  much,  secure  that  the  future  will  be 
worthy  of  the  past  ?  "  —  R.  W.  Emebson. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   TYPE   OF   CHURCHMANSHIP   OF  WHICH 
MUHLENBERG   WAS    THE    CREATOR. 

The  axiomatic  couplet  of  one  of  Tennyson's 
famous  verses  in  his  "  In  Memoriam  "  contains 
the  well-known  words  :  — 

' '  So  careful  of  the  type  she  seems, 
So  careless  of  the  single  life." 

Nature  does  indeed  preserve  the  type.  We 
see  the  type  face,  the  tjrpe  life,  and  the  type 
thouofht  and  habit  of  mind.  That  which  once 
becomes  estabhshed  in  the  type  or  mould  main- 
tains itself  with  the  persistent  strength  of  the 
habitude  of  chronic  survival.  And  in  this  way 
we  find  that,  according  to  the  working  of  this 
common  law,  the  types  of  churchmanship  which 
prevail  to-day  are  the  types  wliich  the  historian 
finds  at  Alexandria  with  Clement,  or  at  Car- 
thage with  Cyprian  or  Tertullian,  or  at  Constan- 
tinople with  Chrysostom.  This  fact  explains 
much  of  our  t)q)ical  American  churchmanship 
to-day,  and  illustrates  the  mission  of  the  church 
for   the    future.     The   problem   to-day  is    that 


74         WJLLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

of  making  useful  and  full  of  power  the  rich 
inheritance  of  knowledge  and  experience  be- 
queathed to  the  church  by  its  forefathers.  The 
American  Episcopal  Church  is  like  a  dear  old 
homestead  which  has  been  full  of  life  and  activ- 
ity, and  is  to-day  filled  with  many  memories. 
Brothers  and  sisters  have  been  reared  in  it,  and 
have  gone  forth  to  make  varying  alliances  and 
to  accomplish  many  widespread  and  opposite  re- 
sults in  the  outer  world.  Back  from  the  world's 
ever- widening  broad  way  it  stands ;  yet  its  an- 
cient gateway  leads  directly  to  the  highway  of 
modern  thought  and  life.  It  speaks  to  us,  by 
its  antique  structure,  of  bygone  methods  of  ar- 
chitecture ;  yet  where  can  one  find  such  solid 
comfort  in  any  of  the  new-fashioned  homes  of 
to-day?  It  speaks,  by  its  whole  air  of  yester- 
day, of  the  wisdom  and  experience  of  the  past ; 
but  the  inmates  of  the  old  homestead  are  young 
and  active  children  of  the  present.  The  belong- 
ings of  bygone  relatives  are  found  here,  —  the 
silver,  the  furniture,  the  pictures,  and  the  dra- 
peries of  the  generations  that  have  lived  in  it,  — 
but  the  methods  of  the  present  householders  are 
the  methods  of  to  -  day.  In  other  words,  this 
church  in  this  new  land  of  ours  has  inherited 
the  wisdom  and  experience  of  those  who  helped 
to  make  it  what  it  is,  and  who  builded  better 
than  they  knew.     While  other  forms  of  faith 


HIS   TYPE    OF   CHURCHMANSHIP.  15 

are  perishing  at  the  first  hard  conflict  of  bygone 
methods  with  new-found  experiences,  it  is  living 
unharmed  and  unscathed,  because  its  fathers 
struo-o-led  to  have  in  the  homestead  room  enouo'h 
for  a  very  large  family  of  very  active  children. 

I. 

It  is  of  churchmanship  that  we  are  to  speak 
in  the  present  chapter,  and  as  a  churchman  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  was  sui  generis.  The  immediate 
impulse  of  dominant  partisans,  whether  of  the 
ecclesiastical  or  scientific  type,  is  to  classify  un- 
der existing  formidse  every  fresh  indi\4dual  who 
comes  wdthin  the  sphere  of  their  observation. 
In  this  way  it  comes  to  pass  that  whenever  any 
eager  spirit  ventures  upon  a  thing  so  daring  as 
the  declaration  of  personal  convictions,  the  novel 
specimen  is  forthwith  seized  upon  by  the  learned 
and  dignified  fraternity  that  lies  in  wait,  and 
is  calmly  impaled  on  the  walls  of  their  cabinet 
under  his  appropriate  label,  where,  stripped  of 
every  semblance  of  life  and  spontaneous  vigor, 
and  with  everything  distinctive  in  his  composition 
ready  to  crumble  at  the  touch  of  a  living  finger, 
he  is  exhibited  for  the  instruction  of  successive 
generations.  To  succeed  in  thus  pinning  a  new 
spiritual  leader  to  a  neat  bit  of  cardboard  in  a 
glass  case,  and  labeled  with  a  familiar  or  a  high- 
sounding  name,  is  to  consign  him  to  that  limbo 
wherein,  it  is  conceived,  he  will  have  no  longer 


7b         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

any  power  to  deceive  the  nations.  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg, with  the  prerogative  that  belongs  to  all 
genius,  and  most  of  all  to  spiritual  genius,  uni- 
formly set  at  naught,  and  brought  to  untimely 
ridicule,  all  such  artificial  attempts  to  formulate 
him.  When  the  ecclesiastical  experts  had  se- 
curely pinned  him  down  to  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Communion  as  a  sort  of  chrysalid  "  Pusey- 
ite,"  emerging  from  the  cocoon  of  the  "  Oxford 
Movement,"  he  suddenly  spread  his  hitherto 
hidden  wings  and  soared  away  into  regions  of 
catholic  liberty  and  evangelical  truth,  whither 
their  lesser  powers  of  vision  could  not  follow 
him.  In  this  way,  also,  when  others  began  to 
speak  of  him  as  nothing  more  than  a  common- 
place Lutheran,  who  in  being  educated  into  the 
church  had  not  been  educated  out  of  the  aes- 
thetic symbolism  in  worship  which  the  Church 
of  the  Fatherland  has  never  renounced,  their 
theory  was  confronted  with  the  ill-fitting  fact  that 
he  was  a  champion  of  the  episcopate,  and  a  rad- 
ical exponent  of  episcopal  prerogative,  the  like 
of  whom,  not  even  excej)ting  Bishop  John  Henry 
Hobart,  had  not  arisen  on  either  side  of  the  At- 
lantic for  more  than  a  hundred  years.  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  persistently  defied  all  efforts  to 
classify  him  in  terms  of  existing  ecclesiastical 
nomenclature  ;  and  by  way  of  inventing  one  for 
himself  that  would  sufficiently  indicate  his  posi- 
tion, he  gave  to  the  Christian  world  a  term  which 


HIS   TYPE   OF  ClIURCHMANSniP.  77 

ought  to  elicit  the  loyal  confession,  and  awaken 
the  ardent  enthusiasm,  of  every  churchman  and 
every  believing  Christian.  He  proclaimed  him- 
self an  "  Evangelical  Catholic."  His  own  defi- 
nition of  this  term,  as  drawn  out  in  the  fullest 
and  clearest  manner  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  has 
since  been  given  to  the  public  by  the  author  of 
his  memoir.  This  letter,  notwithstanding  its 
great  merit,  is  too  long  to  be  quoted  in  the  j)res- 
ent  volume. 

Dr.  Muhlenberg,  as  this  remarkable  letter 
shows,  was  not  afraid  of  the  term  "  Catholic," 
nor  yet  of  its  opposite,  the  word  "  Evangelical." 
But  he  strove  most  zealously  and  conscientiously 
to  strip  each  of  these  expressions  of  the  uncon- 
scious "  cant  "  which  was  hidden  in  them,  which 
vrrong  usage  had  laid  them  open  to  the  bias  of 
party  pride  and  prejudice. 

In  this  respect  he  resembled  his  great  Eng- 
lish fellow-churchman,  Maurice,  who  was  always 
radical  in  thought  and  conservative  in  expres- 
sion, and  the  great  New  England  theologian  and 
Puritan  divine,  Dr.  Bushnell,  of  Hartford.  Un- 
like Maurice  and  Bushnell  in  that  he  did  not 
profess  to  be  a  theologian,  he  was  yet  like  them 
in  their  delightful  element  of  practical  largeness 
of  vision  and  grasp  of  opposing  phases  of  truth. 

He  perceived  what  the  so-called  Catholic 
Churchman  was  striving  for,  and  he  realized  the 


78         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

power  of  tlie  justlfication-by-faitli  position  of 
the  Low  Church  Calvinistic  school ;  and  feeling 
as  he  did  that  the  genius  of  the  Episcopate 
reached  as  far  east  as  it  did  west,  he  constantly 
strove  to  keep  the  feet  of  all  the  church's  clergy 
in  a  large  room,  where  the  sect  spirit  and  the 
crack  of  the  partisan's  whip  would  forever  be  at 
a  discount. 

The  result  of  this  was,  that  he  was  blamed 
by  each  wing  of  the  church  while  living,  though 
now  that  he  is  dead,  both  schools  of  thought  re- 
joice in  his  influence,  and  honor  him  for  his  potent 
comprehensiveness.  His  definition  of  Evangel- 
ical Catholicism,  contained  in  the  letter  referred 
to,  was  occasioned  by  the  publication  and  estab- 
lishment, under  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  auspices,  of 
a  journal  entitled  "  The  Evangelical  Catholic," 
devoted  to  the  exposition  of  what  he  conceived  to 
be  the  Catholic  and  Apostolic  idea  of  the  Church 
of  Christ.  The  appearance  of  this  modest  sheet 
was  the  occasion  of  no  little  surprise,  owing  to 
the  very  wide  divergence  of  views  maintained  in 
it  from  all  the  partisan  positions  which  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  was  suj^posed  to  have  espoused. 
He  was  no  "  Puseyite,"  he  was  a  Catholic  Chris- 
tian, and  a  Catholic  in  a  sense  calculated  and 
destined  to  redeem  the  word  from  the  restricted 
monopoly  of  use  which  had  been  arrogated  for 
so  many  centuries  by  the  Papal  See.    So  far  was 


HIS    TYPE   OF   CHURCHMANSHIP.  i)d 

he  from  being  an  adherent  of  the  Oxford  school, 
that  he  had  never  even  accepted  the  doctrine  of 
baptismal  regeneration,  which  was  the  corner- 
stone of  their  theological  structure.  What  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  meant  by  Evangelical  Catholicism 
in  reference  to  matters  of  faith  and  doctrine 
has  been  sufficiently  set  forth  in  the  letter  re- 
ferred to.  It  now  remains  to  represent  the  prin- 
ciples of  Evangelical  Catholicism  as  illustrated 
by  his  conceiDtion  of  their  proper  application  to 
the  practical  affairs  of  church  administration  and 
worship. 

First  of  all,  with  reference  to  the  work  for 
which  the  Church  of  Christ  is  ordained  in  the 
world,  Dr.  Muhlenberg  held  that  the  church  is 
essentially  and  supremely  a  missionary  organiza- 
tion. Primarily  and  in  essence  she  is  evangelic. 
The  great  end  of  her  existence  is  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel,  the  delivery  of  God's  message  to 
the  world.  She  has  no  restricted  mission.  Her 
commission  reaches  to  all  sorts  and  conditions 
of  men,  and  her  obligation  to  fulfill  it  to  the  in- 
clusion of  all  is  unqualified.  To  this  end  every- 
thing must  be  subordinated  ;  in  order  to  the 
realization  of  this  high  purpose,  her  entire  sys- 
tem and  machinery  must  be  flexible  and  easy 
of  adaptation.  Whatever  of  human  enactment 
hinders  or  obstructs  this  is,  ipso  facto^  null  and 
void. 


80  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

Secondly,  in  the  due  order  and  regulation  of 
this    divinely  ordained    function  the    church  is 
Catholic.    In  her  duly  commissioned  ministry,  in 
the  freedom,  the  rites,  and  the  regulation  of  her 
worship,  as  well  as  in  the  unity  of  her  faith,  the 
church  is  Catholic.    The  oversight  of  the  church, 
and  especially  the  commissioning  of  her  minis- 
ters by  bishops  as  the  successors  of  the  apostles,^ 
is  of  primitive  and  universal  order  in  the  Church 
of  Christ.     Whether  such  order  of  bishops  be 
of  apostolic  institution,  is  a  question  that  has  no 
bearing,  so  long  as  no  other  origin  is  satisfac- 
torily proven,  or  as  long  as  the  order  cannot  be 
shown  to  be  in  itself  a  hindrance  to  the  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel.     The  freedom  of  prayer  and 
of  prophesying,  and  the  right  of  all  the  peojjle  of 
the  congregation  to  particijiate  actively  and  au- 
dibly in  the  stated  exercises  of  public  worship 
in  the  sanctuary,  are  points  of  Catholic  liberty, 
incident  to  the  fellowship  of  the  Holy   Ghost, 
which  the  Catholic  Church  can  never  surrender. 
To  proscribe  freedom  of  prayer  and  prophesying, 
within  orderly  limitations,  is  to  be  unevangel- 
ical ;  to  deny  the  use  of  liturgic  forms,  under  due 
restriction  and  control,  as  a  means  of  participa- 
tion by  the  people  in  the  acts  of  public  worship 
and  of  voicing  their  common  prayer,  is  to  be  un- 
catholic. 

1  "  In  order  if  not  in  office."  —  (W.  H.  M.) 


HIS    TYPE   OF  CHURCHMANSHIP.  81 

It  is  not  a  matter  of  present  concern  to  the 
writer  or  the  public  that  these  principles  be  de- 
fended or  controverted,  but  that  they  be  shown 
to  be  the  views  entertained  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg'. 
Kecourse  shall  therefore  be  had  to  his  own 
words,  written  in  exjjlanation  of  that  movement 
which  is  the  subject  of  the  succeeding  chap- 
ter in  this  book. 

(1.) 

The  Great  Commission  of  the  Church. 

"  That  paper  (the  Memorial),  however,  was  not  ad- 
dressed to  the  members  of  the  church  at  large,  nor  to 
their  representatives  in  General  Convention,  but  solely 
to  the  Right  Reverend  the  Fathers  of  the  Church. 
And  it  is  for  them  to  say  whether,  with  such  an  an- 
swer,^ or  any  approximation  to  it,  they  will  dismiss 
the  memorialists.  It  is  for  them  to  say  whether  they 
believe,  what  such  an  answer  implies,  that  they  are 
the  bishops  of  a  church  with  a  restricted  mission.  It 
is  for  them  to  say  whether  they  believe  that  their  epis- 
copate has  its  full  scope  when  limited  to  a  field  of  ac- 
tion which  does  not  embrace  all  sorts  and  conditions 
of  men,  nor  is  ever  likely  to  embrace  them.  Remem- 
bering tlieir  broad  commission  from  the  great  Head  of 
the  Church,  are  they  satisfied  that  they  are  executing 
it  while  limited  to  a  society  or  communion  which  so 

1  lie  had  been  stating  the  answer  to  the  Memorial  of  those 
who,  while  acknowledging  the  inadequacy  of  the  church  to 
the  wants  of  the  age,  yet  maintained  that  she  was  serving  the 
gospi.'l  snfficif'ntly  in  her  appointed  sphere  as  one  in  the  sister- 
hood of  Protestant  sects. 


82         WILL/AM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

far  lacks  catholicity  that,  from  some  inherent  fault 
of  its  own,  it  is  incompetent  to  evangelize  the  world 
around  it  ?  Of  course  they  are  not.  They  would  repu- 
diate so  narrow  a  view  of  their  functions :  they  cannot 
look  upon  themselves  as  no  more  than  the  executive 
officers  of  one  of  the  many  societies  of  Protestantism, 
and  that,  too,  an  inferior  one  in  numbers  and  powers 
of  increase.  They  recognize  in  their  office  all  that  is 
implied  in  the  office  of  bishops  in  and  of  the  Catholic 
Church  of  Christ.^  .  .  .  The  course  now  to  be  consid- 
ered contemplates  action  solely  on  the  part  of  bishops. 
It  proposes  that,  for  the  discharge  of  their  office  chiefly 
in  admitting  to  the  sacred  ministry,  they  shall  enlarge 
their  borders  ;  that  they  shall  mark  out  for  their  ac- 
tion as  bishops  some  broader  and  more  catholic 
ground  than  that  to  which  they  ai'e  now  restricted. 
This,  while  it  is  obviously  the  safer  policy  in  regard 
to  the  interests  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  as 
such,  gives  wider  scope  to  the  bishops  than  probably 
would  ever  be  afforded  by  any  modification  of  her 
system.  It  puts  her  in  no  jeopardy.  It  need  not 
alarm  her  most  conservative  friends.  It  says,  Let 
her  boundaries  stand  ;  let  everything  in  them  remain 
in  statu  quo,  if  that  be  desired,  but  let  not  the  word 
of  the  Lord  be  bound.  Let  it  '  have  free  course,  and 
be  glorified.'  Let  those  who  are  charged  with  its 
propagation  over  the  world  have  the  full  liberty  in 
sending  forth  its  preachers.  Let  their  power  to  this 
effect  be  recognized  even  beyond  what  is  provided 
for  by  the  laws  and  regulations  of  our  particular  com- 
1  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  First  Series,  pp.  112,  113. 


HIS    TYPE  OF  CIIURCHMANSHIP.  83 

munion,  —  not  in  contrariety  to  those  laws  and  regu- 
lations, not  to  violate  either  their  letter  or  their  spirit, 
not  to  interfere  with  them  in  any  way,  and  yet  not 
in  pursuance  of  them,  not  in  virtue  of  their  authority. 
By  what  authority  then,  it  is  asked,  may  our  bishops 
act  in  the  premises  contemplated,  if  they  have  it  not 
from  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  ?  Where  is 
their  warrant  for  doing  what  her  canons  do  not  con- 
temjilate  their  doing  ?  Are  we  to  have  the  doctrine 
of  a  Higher  Law  ?  '  Even  so  a  Higher  Law.'  '  Go 
ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature.'  ^  .  .  .  '  They,  then,  who  are  required  by 
that  (primitive  and  universal)  order,  or  who  in  virtue 
of  it  have  an  unquestioned  right  to  commission  men  to 
preach  the  gospel  (viz.,  the  bishops),  are  eminently 
bound  to  do  so.  To  them  as  to  no  others  comes  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  in  unbroken  accents  along  the  cur- 
rent of  centuries,  '  Go  ye  into  all  the  world.'  To  this 
both  High  and  Low  Churchmen  assent ;  but  setting 
antifpiity  aside,  making  no  account  of  the  historical 
episcopate,  nor  saying  what  the  succession  is  worth, 
take  the  fact  as  it  now  stands,  —  take  only  what  is 
patent  and  present.  The  bishops,  and  the  bishops 
only,  can  give  a  commission  to  preach  the  gospel 
which  obtains  credit  everywhere  in  the  Protestant 
world.  This  or  that  denomination  of  Christians  may 
be  perfectly  sure  that  a  commissi(m  from  other  hands 
is  quite  as  good,  but  there  is  no  common  consent  to 
that  effect.  P^piscopal  orders  alone  have  a  universal 
currency.  Upon  those,  then,  who  have  it  in  their 
'  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  First  Series,  pp.  117,  118. 


84  WTLLTAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

power,  lies  the  boiinden  duty  to  dispense  such  orders. 
The  possession  of  a  gift  involves  the  obligation  to  use 
it  to  the  utmost  good.^     '  Necessity  is  laid  ujion  me, 
.  .  .  woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel,'  cried  one 
in  the  apostolic  episcopate.     Let  those  in  the  episco- 
pate now  feel  that  a  like  necessity  is  laid  upon  them. 
Let  them  feel   constrained  to   the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  by  sending  forth  all  they  can  whom  they  be- 
lieve to  be  qualified  to  preach  it,  and  their  invention 
will  not  fail  them  in  devising  how  to  do  it,  and  that 
without  their  abating  a  jot  or  tittle  of  their  present 
ecclesiastical  allegiance.    Let  it  only  become  in  earnest 
a  problem  for  the  episcopal  college,  and  who  doubts  its 
solution  ?  ^    If  there  be  any  law  or  rule  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  confining  them  within  her  own 
range,  it  is  null  and  void.     It  abridges  their  original 
commission.     It  trenches  on  their  inherent  jiowers. 
It  contravenes  the  Higher  Law.     But  there  is  none. 
The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  no  occasion  to 
contemplate  episcopal  action  outside  of   herself.     It 
does  not  come  within  her  province  :  accordingly  she 
does  not  legislate  for  it.'     When  a  bishop  says  his 
hands  are  tied  so  that  he  dare  not  lay  them  upon  any 
one  who  will  not  step  upon  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
platform  and  promise  never  to  leave  it,  he  might  be 
well  asked,  what  has  tied  them  ?    Is  it  tlie  original 
commission  ?   Is  it  a  word  or  syllable  in  that  commis- 
sion ?    That  will  not  be  pretended.     Is  it  ancient  and 
universal  precedent  ?    Neither  will  that  be  said.    Is  it 

1  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  First  Series,  pp.  120,  121. 

2  Ibid.,  p.  139.  3  jjjrf.^  pp.  122,  123. 


HIS    TYPE   OF   CHURCHMANSHIP.  85 

the  necessity  of  security  for  the  Catholic  faith  ?  That 
much  security  let  him  demand.  But  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  has  tied  his  hands.  How  so  ? 
She  engaged  liim  most  solemnly,  indeed,  to  conform- 
ity to  her  doctrine,  discipline,  and  worship,  and  that 
binds  him  irrevocably  in  his  relations  to  her ;  but 
does  she  anywhere  say  that  he  shall  have  no  other 
relations  ?  Did  he,  could  he,  promise  to  have  no 
other?  The  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  binds  him  in  everything  with  which 
that  allegiance  is  concerned,  —  it  binds  him  acting 
with  and  for  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  —  but 
has  he  so  far  given  up  his  freedom  in  Christ,  has  he 
so  contracted  his  Christian  charity,  as  to  have  engaged 
never  to  act  among  others,  or  for  others,  in  doing 
them  good,  provided  that  in  so  doing  he  occasion  no 
detriment  to  his  own  communion  ?  He  swore  to  do 
his  duty  within  her  bounds  after  the  manner  which 
she  prescribes,  but  did  he  forswear  all  episcopal  duty 
beyond  her  bounds  ?  This  is  at  least  a  question,  and, 
if  a  question  at  all,  a  very  grave  one.  Let  it  be  re- 
solved by  those  whom  it  most  intimately  concerns. 
K  they  deem  themselves  incompetent  to  its  solution, 
let  it  be  brought  before  the  general  council  of  the 
church.  Let  the  question,  with  its  momentous  bear- 
ings, be  pressed  upon  the  members  of  that  body  in 
some  form  that  will  test  their  convictions  upon  it. 
Let  them  deliberately  say  whether  they  believe  that 
the  episcopal  oflice,  which  most  if  not  all  of  them 
believe  to  be  a  divine  institution  for  spreading  the 
means    of   salvation,    may    not    be   exercised  except 


86        WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

within  the  limits  of  their  own  appointment,  and  ac- 
cording to  laws  and  regulations  of  their  own  enact- 
ment. Let  them  pray  at  the  opening  of  each  day's 
session  the  prayer,  '  that  the  comfortable  Gosjjel  of 
Christ  may  be  truly  preached,  truly  received,  and 
truly  followed  in  all  places,'  and  then  vote  that,  so  far 
as  in  them  lies,  the  comfortable  Gospel  of  Christ  shall 
not  be  preached  save  with  the  coextension  of  their 
own  particular  ecclesiastical  system.  Let  them  pray 
that  '  the  whole  of  Christ's  sheep  may  be  gathei'ed 
into  one  fold,'  and  then  vote  in  effect  that  the  '  one 
fold '  is  the  Protestant  Episcopal  fold :  let  them  so 
vote,  and  then  deny,  with  what  consistency  they  can, 
that  they  are  in  the  bondage  of  sect."  ^ 

(2.) 
Episcopal  Freedom. 

"  The  central  idea  of  the  movement,  as  contem- 
plated in  the  wider  aim  of  the  Memorial,  is  the  eman- 
cipation of  the  Protestant  Ejjiscopate :  upon  this  it 
all  turns.  As  for  the  Roman  Episcopate,  it  is  in 
hopeless  vassalage  to  the  Italian  Pontiff.  The  Refor- 
mation on  the  continent  of  Europe  did  not  effect  its 
deliverance.  The  bishops  there  continued  the  abject 
servants  of  the  Pope.  The  new-born  spirit  of  the 
times,  invoking   them   to   assert  their    freedom,  did 

^  The  convention  virtually  has  already  done  this  in  setting 
forth  a  translation  of  the  Prayer  Book  in  the  German  lan- 
guage, for  the  purpose  of  enabling-  such  of  our  ministers  as  are 
qualified  to  preach  the  gospel  to  German  emigrants.  Most  of 
these  people  have  already  the  creed,  the  psalms,  and  part  of 
our  service  in  their  books  of  devotion.  Why  was  not  that  suffi- 
cient ?    Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  First  Series,  pp.  187, 188. 


EIS  TYPE  OF  CHURCHMANSHIP.  87 

not   reach  their  wills,  and   they    still   hugged  their 
chains. 

"  But  the  gospel  was  no  longer  in  chains :  they  had 
burst  asunder  at  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  and  the  voice  of 
the  Lord,  '  mighty  in  operation,'  was  now  summoning 
all,  laymen,  priests,  and  bishops  alike,  to  the  '  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  hath  made  us  free.'  If  the  bishops 
choose  to  remain  in  bondage  (in  effect  said  the  arch- 
reformer),  so  let  them,  but  not  we.  Whatever  alle- 
giance we  owe  them,  since  it  binds  us  to  allegiance  to 
the  Pope,  we  break  it,  as  Ave  must,  for  the  sake  of  alle- 
giance to  our  sovereign  Lord  Christ.  And  break  it  they 
did ;  but  never,  by  so  doing,  did  the  thought  ever  enter 
their  minds  that  they  broke  away  from  the  Church  of 
Christ.  Though  they  parted  from  the  bishops,  they 
felt  that  they  did  not  part  from  the  Bishop  and  Shep- 
herd of  souls,  and  so  could  not  be  out  of  his  fold. 
Ubi  Christus,  ibi  Ecclesia,  was  the  creed  of  their 
churchmanship  :  we  need  not  examine  its  soundness. 
The  question  of  the  integrity  of  the  reformed  churches, 
thus  deprived  by  necessity  of  the  episcopate,  is  one 
with  wliich  we  are  not  now  concerned.  As  one  of 
the  memorialists,  I  waive  it.  I  have  a  settled  opinion 
upon  it,  but  the  present  argument  does  not  call  for 
its  expression.  It  is  wide  of  its  scope.  Its  decision 
is  unnecessary,  for  happily  in  the  pi-ovidence  of  God, 
the  episcopate  in  England  did  sever  itself  from  the 
Papacy.  The  English  bishops  so  far  became  free, 
and  yet  not  free.  They  found  themselves  in  another 
bondage.  Prelates  in  allegiance  with  the  state,  they 
were    restrained   in   their   office    as   the   bishops    of 


88         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

Christ,  —  they  were  not  free  to  exercise  it  solely  in 
obedience  to  Christ.  Among  the  facts  in  evidence  of 
that,  there  was  a  remarkable  one  in  our  own  history. 
The  English  bishops  dared  not  convey  the  Episcopal 
functions  to  their  American  brethren  suing  for  them, 
without  the  leave  of  the  civil  power.  An  act  of  par- 
liament was  necessary  in  order  to  empower  them  to 
perpetuate,  beyond  their  own  shores,  a  commission 
which,  under  divine  obligations,  they  were  thus  bound 
to  perpetuate.  Practically  they  were  as  dependent 
upon  his  Majesty  George  III.  as  any  Roman  bishops 
in  like  case  would  be  now  on  his  Holiness  Pius  IX. 
They  got  leave.  Most  gladly  did  they  use  it,  and 
now  through  them  we  have  bishops  dependent  on 
neither  pope  nor  king  ;  nevei-theless,  —  with  unfeigned 
deference  I  say  it,  —  bishops  in  bondage  stiU.  The 
thraldom  of  the  Papacy  has  forever  passed  away. 
The  thraldom  of  the  state  has  never  been  imposed, 
but  the  thraldom  of  sect  remains.  For  how  else 
shall  that  be  designated  which  denies  them  a  cath- 
olic freedom  in  the  highest  function  of  their  office ; 
which  limits  them,  not  by  the  necessary  economy  of 
jurisdiction,  but  by  conventional  restrictions,  far 
within  the  range  of  the  Catholic  faith  and  of  human 
appointment  ?  Beyond  these  they  dare  not  go,  and 
within  these  every  one,  to  have  the  benefit  of  their 
office,  must  come,  and  moreover  bind  himself  to  re- 
main. Neither  they  who  have  the  power  to  grant,  nor 
they  who  accept  from  them  the  commission  to  preach 
Christ's  gospel,  may  exceed  a  particular  platform,  — 
that  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Communion.     They 


HIS    TYPE  OF  CnURCHMANSHIP.  89 

may  carry  forward  that  platform  ;  they  may  plant  it 
wherever  they  can ;  and  such  an  extension  of  it  is 
the  end  they  are  to  aim  at,  —  it  is  their  set  limit  of 
action.  In  other  words,  the  bishops  are  bound  to 
the  propagation  exclusively  of  Protestant  Episcopa- 
lianism.  They  are  denied  the  liberty  of  spreading 
the  gospel  under  any  other  form,  —  and  that,  sure,  is 
to  be  in  bondage.  Let  us  turn  to  the  original  and 
divine  commission  in  the  premises,  on  which  all  de- 
pends. 

"  '  All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  earth  ; 
go  ye  therefore  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you,  and  lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.'  So  we 
read  in  St.  Matthew.  St.  Mark  has  the  same  in 
somewhat  different  language :  '  Go  ye  unto  all  the 
world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  He 
that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved;  but  he 
that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned.' 

"  Here  is  plainly  declared  the  purpose  for  which 
Clu-ist  sent  forth  his  apostles.  The  same  must  have 
been  the  purpose  for  which  they  sent  forth  others 
after  them.  The  same  must  be  that  of  every  succes- 
sor of  the  apostles  in  sending  forth  men  to  the  end  of 
time.  They  must  adhere  to  it  unchanged.  If  they 
add  any  secondary  purpose  to  it,  it  must  be  altogether 
in  harmony  with  it ;  it  must  be  no  let  or  hindrance  to 
it,  else  they  incur  a  forfeiture  of  the  promise  of  his 
being  with  them  to  the  end  of  the  world. 


90         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

"Now  what  was  and  what  is  that  purpose?  It 
lies  open  on  the  face  of  the  commission.  It  is  none 
other  than  this,  —  that  all  men  should  hear  the  gos- 
pel ;  that  all  men  should  he  taught  the  gospel ;  that 
all  who  believed  should  be  baptized  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
consequently  should  be  taught  to  believe  in,  to  wor- 
ship, love,  and  obey  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  further,  that  they  should  be  taught  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever  Christ  commanded  his 
disciples,  and  which  are  found  written  in  the  New 
Testament.  Whenever,  then,  a  bishop  is  satisfied 
that  a  Christian  man  of  sound  mind,  asking  of  him 
the  ministerial  commission,  will  so  preach  and  teach, 
will  so  baptize  them  in  the  name  of  the  Blessed 
Trinity,  and  consequently  inculcate  upon  them  obe- 
dience and  love  to  the  three  Persons  and  one  God,  in 
their  several  relations  to  man  and  in  their  essential 
unity,  and  further  will  instruct  those  who  believe  in 
the  will  of  Christ  contained  in  his  word,  the  bishop 
is  free  to  give  the  commission,  —  nothing  may  hinder. 
Canons,  custom,  or  usages,  if  they  are  in  the  way,  are 
to  be  scattered  as  chaff  before  the  wind.  They  are 
impertinences  coming  between  the  mouth  of  the  Lord 
and  the  will  of  his  servant.  They  are  checks  and  hold- 
backs, when  the  word  of  the  Lord  is.  Go  forward.  This 
is  the  doctrine  of  Episcopal  freedom  in  the  abstract. 
In  practice,  of  course,  it  calls  for  law,  rule,  discipline, 
for  the  purpose  of  its  effectual  exercise.  Order  being 
'  Heaven's  first  law,'  Episcopal  freedom  cannot  be  su- 
perior to  it.     Bishops  must  be  subject  to  order,  else 


HIS    TYPE  OF  CHURCHMANSHIP.  91 

there  will  be  confusion  among  them.  They  will  inter- 
fere with  one  another,  —  the  gospel  will  be  hindered, 
not  furthered.  This  is  obvious.  There  must  be  or- 
der,—  just  so  much  order,  however,  as  is  necessary 
to  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel ;  just  so  much  as  ex- 
pedites the  fulfillment  of  the  evangelical  command."  ^ 

The  following  letter  to  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Ker- 
foot,  Bisliop-elect  of  Pittsburgh,  dated  Decem- 
ber, 1865,  will  serve  to  complete  these  citations 
relative  to  the  mission  of  the  churcb  and  the 
prerogative  of  her  bishops :  — 

"  My  dear  John,  —  You  ask  me  to  be  present 
at  your  consecration.  With  all  the  love  I  bear  you, 
I  can  hardly  think  of  undertaking  such  a  journey  in 
winter  with  ray  stay-at-home  habits. 

"  On  one  condition,  however,  I  might.  If  when 
you  take  that  oath  of  conformity  to  the  doctrine,  dis- 
cipline, etc.,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  which 
in  a  narrow,  sectistic  spirit  is  made  the  fiist  act  in  the 
consecration  office  (your  consecrators  wIU  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  you  until  after  you  have  sworn  to  be 
an  out-and-out  Episcopalian :  you  may  be  sound  in 
the  Catholic  faith  and  in  all  evangelical  doctrine ; 
you  may  be  qualified  for  your  apostolical  functions,  but 
you  shall  not  exercise  them,  you  shall  be  no  apostle, 
until  you  obligate  yourself.  In  the  most  solemn  lan- 
guage that  can  be  uttered,  that  you  will  adhere  to  a 
certain  ritual  and  discipline,  for  the  most  part  con- 
fessedly of  human  origin  and  authority.  If  such  a 
^  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  pp.  181-184. 


92         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG.' 

promise  be  necessary,  it  might  be  made  with  some 
grace  after  all  the  others,  as  an  accidental,  not  an 
essential,  or  at  least  secondary,  not  a  primary,  re- 
quirement. It  is  a  most  extraordinary  opening  of  an 
inauguration  of  a  Peter,  Paul,  or  John ;  so  little  and 
contracted,  compared  with  what  follows  in  that  truly 
apostolical  office !). 

"  To  return  to  what  I  began  to  say :  if,  when  you 
take  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  oath,  you  will 
make  an  audible  reservation  in  words  to  this  effect : 
'  So  long  as  I  shall  believe  that  there  is  nothing  in  the 
same  hindering  my  liberty  and  duty  as  a  bishop  in 
the  Universal  Church  of  Christ,'  I  should  certainly 
make  an  effort  to  come  and  witness  such  an  advance 
towards  Catholic  Uberty  in  the  episcopate. 

"  You  would  then  be  open  to  liberal  arguments  and 
considerations  against  which  you  will  feel  yourself 
canon-bound.  Of  course  you  will  do  no  such  thing. 
You  mean  to  be  a  Protestant  EjDiscojjal  Church  bishop, 
—  nothing  more.  You  mean  to  be  the  ecclesiastic  of 
the  peculiar  type  which  you  now  are  :  you  will  make 
no  proviso  for  any  jiossible  future  enlightenment ;  you 
will  fancy  yourself  a  Catholic  bishop  while  you  ignore 
hundreds  of  ministers  around  you  sound  in  the  Cath- 
olic faith,  and  true  preachers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
You  will  treat  them  as  bearing  no  commission  (al- 
though they  show  every  sign  of  one  from  the  Holy 
Ghost)  :  yet,  should  they  ask  communion  at  your 
hands,  you  will  refuse  it,  unless  they  bow,  like  you,  to 
a  compliance  with  institutions  and  practices  not  pre- 
tended to  be  divine. 


HIS   TYPE   OF  CHURCHMANSHIP.  93 

"  You  will  grant  authority  to  preach  the  everlasting 
gospel  only  on  very  peculiar  ecclesiastical  conditions. 
.  .  .  For  that  I  am  sorry  ;  yet  I  am  thankful  for  your 
promotion.  I  believe,  as  I  said  in  my  last,  that  you  will 
be  a  good  shepherd  of  the  flock  committed  to  your  care. 
I  think  you  will  be  the  most  gospel  bishop  of  all  your 
High  Church  brethren  in  the  House.  I  will  trust  your 
heart  to  get  the  better  of  your  logic.  I  will  fain  hope, 
at  least  pray,  that  your  episcopate  will  be  a  centre  of 
unity  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  —  not  that  barrier 
to  unity  which  most  of  our  bishops  now  are.  Write 
yourself  when  you  really  are  Bishop  of  Pittsburgh."  ^ 

Twenty-five  years  ago,  the  sentiments  con- 
tained in  this  most  remarkable  letter  were 
looked  ni3on  as  an  old  man's  harmless  dream. 
To-day  the  American  church  is  on  its  knees  be- 
fore God  asking  Him  to  guide  it,  so  that  it  may 
strive  to  realize  this  veritable  catholicity,  in  the 
presence  of  that  spurious  growth  of  so-called 
Catholic  sentiment  which  is  at  the  best  but  the 
fungous  accretion  of  a  cavernous  antiquity.  The 
following  extracts  will  sufficiently  indicate  his 
positions  with  regard  to  the  order  and  freedom 
of  worship :  — 

*'  A  church  without  a  liturgy  hardly  seems  a  church 
at  all ;  it  lacks  the  great  means  of  social  worship 
which  has  been  employed  in  all  ages,  and  which,  in- 
deed, seems  essential  to  church  life,  not  to  say  what 
a  safeguard  of  the  truth  it  throws  away.  It  has 
^  Life  of  Bishop  Kerfoot,  vol.  ii.  pp.  417,  418. 


94  WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

gone  to  a  dangerous  extreme.  But  is  there  not  an 
opposite  extreme,  —  not  equally  dangerous,  indeed, 
but  still  an  extreme?  And  is  it  not  that  to  which  we 
Episcopalians  are  addicted,  —  the  utter  proscription  of 
all  free  prayer  ?  The  union  of  the  two  methods  is  by 
no  means  imjjracticable.  It  existed  in  the  churches 
on  the  continent  for  some  two  centuries  after  the 
Reformation,  and  still  continues  in  those  which  adhere 
to  the  Augsburg  Confession.*  That  possibly  we  are 
at  an  extreme  in  the  matter,  might  be  suspected  fi-om 
the  fact  that  we  are  more  bound  up  by  ritual  pre- 
scription than  any  other  church  in  Christendom  is,  or 
ever  was.^ 

"  In  the  Church  of  Rome,  uniformity  is  prescribed 
in  the  offices  of  the  mass  and  the  sacraments,  and 
to  some  extent,  for  matins  and  vespers ;  after  which 
there  is  no  end  to  the  diversity  of  her  services,  nor 
need  they  be  in  any  two  places  alike.  It  is  her  study 
to  engage  the  people  by  all  manner  of  devotions, 
rites,  and  ceremonies,  for  which  the  license  allowed 
her  clergy  is  quite  an  opposite  to  the  limit  imposed 
on  ours.  Indeed,  our  peculiarity  in  not  recognizing 
anything  as  profitable  in  public  devotion  but  what  is 
set  down  for  us  verbatim  et  literatim,  is  without  a 
parallel  in  the  history  of  our  religion.  This  might 
suggest  the  misgiving  whether  it  be  a  wise  peculiarity. 
In  fact,  if  we  have  not  got  to  the  extreme,  where  is 

^  To  proscribe  liturgies,  as  nearly  all  the  Protestants  of  this 
country  have  done,  is  to  be  uncaiholic ;  to^proscribe  alL  free- 
dom in  prayer  is  to  be  unevang-elical. 

^  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  First  Series,  pp.  132,  133. 


HIS  TYPE  OF  CHURCHMANSHIP.  95 

it  ?  How  could  we  be  tied  up  any  tighter  than  we 
are  ?  Still,  if  we  like  it,  and  don't  see  that  it  is  an 
extreme,  if  it  is  not  too  tight  for  us,  very  well,  but 
let  us  not  insist  on  forcing  it  upon  everybody  else. 
In  performing  said  service,  '  xo  other  prayers  shall 
be  used  than  those  prescribed  in  said  book.'  ^  No,  not 
after  the  sermon  any  more  than  before  it.  This  an 
honest  construction  of  the  canon  obliges  us  to  admit. 
No  prayer  out  of  book,  whether  from  the  desk  or  the 
pulpit,  —  no  free  outpouring  of  the  preacher's  heart 
for  God's  blessing  on  his  words.  He  has  been  calling 
sinners  to  repentance,  warning  them  to  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come ;  or  he  has  been  pointing  believers  to 
their  heavenly  inheritance,  entreating  them,  by  all  the 
glories  before  them,  to  press  onwards  to  the  prize. 
His  soul,  all  aglow,  glows  on  into  ardent  groanings 
for  the  Spirit  to  descend  and  inflame  the  hearers' 
hearts.  '  Dear  brethren,  let  us  pray,'  he  would  ear- 
nestly invite  them,  but  he  dares  not,  unless  perchance 
he  finds  a  collect,  or  patches  one  or  two  together  to 
eke  out  some  allusion  to  his  subject.  '  Pray  on,'  says 
the  spirit  struggling  within  him  ;  '  Be  quiet,'  says  the 
law.  In  the  cold  look  of  some  high  and  dry  hearer 
he  sees  the  canon  pointed  at  him,  and  down  he  sits, 
loyally  smothering  the  divine  but  uncanonlcal  im- 
pulse, —  a  dutiful  son  of  the  church.  Of  what  church, 
my  dear  bishop  ?  Of  the  church  that  sings  her  Veni 
Creator'?  Of  the  church  that  asks  for  her  ])rophets 
the  tongues  of  fire  ?  Bondage  all  this  I  Pardon  me 
if  bondage  I  call  it,  unworthy  of  the  liberty  where- 
1  From  the  45th  Canon,  1832. 


96         WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

with  Christ  hath  made  us  free.  Men  feel  it  to  be 
bondage.  They  will  not  endure  it.-'  The  highest 
authority  which  the  church  can  plead  for  ritual  en- 
actments is  the  divine  prescription  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  But  let  not  the  sanction  of  that  prescription 
be  puslied  too  far.  Our  Lord  gave  one  set  form. 
He  did  not  forbid  all  other  forms.  Rather,  while  He 
enjoined  a  literal  use  of  that  (so  let  it  be  assumed),  He 
designed  it  to  be  the  model  of  other  prayers.  '  Thus 
pray  ye,'  —  not  only  in  these  words,  but  let  them  be 
the  sum  and  substance  of  all  your  prayers.  So  the 
Church  has  understood  her  Lord.  She  enjoins  his 
prayer  verbatim  in  each  of  her  offices,  and  adds  fur- 
ther prayers  in  accordance  with  it.  The  whole  lit- 
urgy may  be  regarded  as  a  development  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  To  say  this,  is  its  highest  eulogy.  But  let 
not  the  Church  claim  more  for  her  development  than 
her  Lord  has  done  for  his  original.  As  He  did  not 
say  in  these  words  and  these  alone  ye  shall  pray,  so 
let  not  her  make  that  exclusive  demand  for  the  forms 
which  she  has  wi'ought  out  from  those  words. 

"  Let  her  not  claim  for  her  half-inspired  composi- 
tions more  than  is  claimed  by  its  Author  for  the 
composition  wholly  inspired.  As  if  the  liturgy  had 
exhausted  the  Lord's  Prayer,  let  her  not  proceed  to 
put  a  seal  on  our  lips  in  a  syllable  beyond.  Let  her 
liturgy  answer  the  double  purpose  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  —  a  set  form  and  a  directory  of  devotion. 
The  canon  forbids  its  use  as  a  directory,  and  so  far 
diminishes  its  practical  value.     This  is  not  to  follow 

1  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  First  Series,  pp.  213,  214. 


HIS   TYPE   OF  CHURCHMANSHIP.  97 

the  example  of  the  Master,  —  it  is  to  exceed  it.  Un- 
like Him,  his  church  —  no !  the  canon,  which  is  an 
excrescence  on  the  church  —  says,  Thus  and  thus 
only  shall  ye  pray.  Cut  off  the  excrescence.  Let 
the  church  be  content  to  exercise  no  more  exclusive 
prerogative  than  her  Master ;  and  from  Him  let  her 
learn  to  teach  her  members,  especially  her  ministers, 
as  He  taught  his  disciples.^ 

"  That  which  the  liturgy  is  not  —  cannot  from  its 
very  nature  be  —  is  the  expression  of  wants  and  feel- 
ings peculiar  to  an  individual  member,  or  to  a  certain 
number  of  individual  members,  of  the  church.  Our 
liturgy  has  no  utterance  for  what  they  would  utter 
as  individuals.  It  knows  nothing  of  their  particular 
wants  or  experience.  But  then  shall  these  never 
have  leave  to  vent  themselves  in  the  sanctuary  ? 
Shall  these  be  denied  an  utterance  ?  Shall  private 
griefs  and  joys  be  kept  in  abeyance,  and  be  com- 
manded to  be  still,  in  the  house  of  prayer  and  praise  ? 
In  the  communion  ofl&ce,  which  is  eminently  the  lit- 
urgy, shall  not  the  absent,  the  sick,  the  dying  com- 
municant be  permitted  to  send  in  his  petitions  to  his 
pastor  and  brethren,  to  be  offered  by  them  amid  the 
sacred  mysteries,  when  intercessions,  we  may  believe, 
are  most  availing  ?  The  liturgy  does  not  forbid 
that.  It  is  not  so  cold-hearted.  It  would  pause,  so 
to  speak,  in  its  genei-al  offices,  to  give  opportunity  to 
the  single  supplicant.  It  stops  for  the  preacher  to  go 
into  his  sermon  ;  and  when  prayer  is  connected  with 
'  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  pp.  314,  31.0. 


98         WILLIAM  AUGUST  US  MUHLENBERG. 

it,  why  should  it  not  also  stop  for  him  as  a  merciful 
and  compassionate  priest,  —  pleading  with  God  in 
such  words  as  he  can,  and  as  best  suit  the  case,  for 
the  poor  brother  or  sister  who  begs  to  be  remembered 
as  present  in  spirit  at  the  sacred  feast  ?  Let  the  lit- 
urgy be  considered  as  the  common  voice  of  the  whole 
church,  and  special  prayers  as  the  voice  of  particu- 
lar congregations ;  we  shall  then  hear  no  more  of  our 
dishonoring  the  former  by  asking  free  liberty  in  the 
latter.^ 

"The  non-enactment  of  any  canons  touching  the 
laity  equivalent  to  those  in  England,  by  our  American 
church,  is  significant,  and  may  be  understood  as  de- 
signed to  leave  the  evangelical  liberties  of  laymen 
untouched.  The  '  conventicles  '  unlawful  in  the  Eng- 
lish Church  are  not  unlawful  in  ours.  Laymen  may 
not  '  prophesy  '  there  ;  they  may  here.  Usage,  in- 
deed, is  against  it,  and  usage  may  be  considered  part 
of  the  system  of  the  church,  but  that  will  not  be  so 
when  the  church  comes  to  understand  and  develop 
more  fully  her  office  as  the  prophet  of  the  Lord.^ 
We  ask  no  option  in  the  use  of  the  Prayer  Book,  that 
is,  in  the  regular  congregations  of  the  church,  to 
which  alone  we  would  have  some  authoritative  dec- 
laration that  the  conjunction  is  confined,  leaving  mis- 
sionaries and  others  circumstanced  like  them  to  pray 
as  they  can. 

"It  is  not  the  PREscription  but  the  PROscription  of 
the  canon  at  which  we  demur.     We  are  not  '  weary 

1  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  pp.  .316,  317. 

2  Ibid.,  pp.  228,  229. 


HIS   TYPE    OF  CHURCHMANSniP.  99 

of  the  liturgy,'  but  we  are  weary,  quite  weary,  of 
the  restraint  of  a  law  which  fastens  a  bondage  to  the 
liturgy  in  no  wise  belonging  to  it ;  which  has  no  au- 
thority in  Holy  Writ,  no  precedent  in  early  Christian 
practice,  and  no  parallel  in  any  branch  of  the  church 
at  the  present  day ;  which  abridges  evangelical  lib- 
erty, and  is  an  anomaly  in  Catholic  legislation ;  which 
suffers  not  the  pastor  of  his  flock  to  pray  as  he  wiU 
with  his  flock  in  the  very  midst  of  his  own  fold ;  which 
denies  him,  as  the  father  of  his  spiritual  family,  the 
privilege,  enjoyed  by  every  other  father,  of  freely 
mingling  his  heart  with  theirs  at  the  altar  of  their 
sanctuary  home ;  which  sets  bounds  to  the  congrega- 
tion as  well,  in  their  approaches  to  God,  seeing  that 
as  a  congregation  they  can  approach  Him  only  tlirough 
their  minister,  —  if  their  spokesman  be  restrained,  so 
are  they  ;  which  thus  disfranchises  the  citizens  of  the 
Heavenly  City  touching  their  right  of  petition,  dic- 
tating the  words  in  which  alone  it  shall  be  exercised, 
and  that  in  the  public  assemblies  of  the  citizens  in 
which  petition  is  the  most  availing ;  which  infringes 
the  Magna  Charta  of  freedom  in  prayer  guaranteed 
by  the  great  Apostle  of  gospel  liberty  when  he  bids 
us  come,  whether  in  closet  or  church,  to  the  throne 
of  grace  boldly,  literally  with  freespokenness ;  which 
makes  the  church  conflict  not  only  with  an  Apostle, 
but  transcend  the  sanction  of  her  Lord  in  ordaining 
prayer  by  set  form,  seeing  that  while  He  prescribed 
one  form  He  did  not,  by  common  consent,  forbid  all 
other  forms  ;  which  dares  to  outlaw  the  very  prayers 
of   Holy  Writ,  except  so  far  as  they  are  adopted  in 


100       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG, 

the  Prayei-  Book ;  which  is  an  interdict  so  monstrous 
(as  it  seems  to  us)  that  nothing  can  be  said  for  it  but 
that  it  is  a  protection  against  prayers  In  bad  taste,  as 
if  chaste  rhetoric  were  an  essential  quality  of  accept- 
able devotion,  and  our  clergy,  with  all  their  ritual 
training,  could  not  be  trusted  to  make  a  becoming 
prayer !  Ay,  of  this  we  are  weary,  and  earnestly  do 
we  pray  for  relief.  We  beg  only  for  ourselves ; 
others,  men  of  prayer  and  far  better  than  we,  may 
feel  no  grievance.  The  privilege  granted  us  will 
be  no  imposition  on  them.  Those  who  think  with 
us  may  be  a  minority,  for  aught  we  know  a  small 
minority,  but  minorities  deserve  consideration,  —  at 
least  when  they  are  claiming  what  they  believe  to  be 
their  rights.  Now,  how  comes  it  to  pass  that  some  of 
our  brethren  regard  our  earnestness  on  this  point  as 
a  sign  of  disaffection  to  the  liturgy,  and  go  so  far  as 
to  tell  us  that  we  would  '  substitute  in  the  place  of  it 
the  crude  effervescence  of  extemporary  prayer  ? ' 
Does  it  not  arise  from  their  misconception,  or  a  for- 
getfulness  of  what  the  liturgy  really  is,  and  of  its 
proper  function  in  the  church  ?  May  we  venture, 
then,  to  remind  men  what  its  nature  and  purpose 
are,  and  what  they  are  not  ?  The  liturgy  is  the  com- 
mon voice  of  the  whole  church,  —  the  solemn  oblation 
of  prayer  and  praise  due  everywhere  in  all  her  con- 
gregations, '  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  unto  the 
going  doAvn  of  the  same.'  As  such,  the  liturgy 
changes  not ;  the  Great  Being  to  whom  its  service  is 
offered,  and  the  church  who  offers  it,  changing  never. 
To    make   it  in  any  part  extemporary  would   be  to 


HIS   TYPE   OF  CHURCHMANSHIP.  101 

violate  its  nature.  It  can  consist  of  no  new  or  raw 
materials.  To  be  a  meet  offering,  it  must  be  of  the 
choicest  products, — the  gold,  the  frankincense,  and 
the  myrrh,  the  '  compound  of  sweet  spices '  gathered 
and  selected  by  the  church  from  all  her  storehouses  of 
devotion  ;  and  such,  if  such  be  anywhere  in  Christen- 
dom, is  our  liturgy,  —  especially  that  which  is  the 
liturgy  proper,  the  communion  office.  This,  then,  is  its 
true  idea  ;  the  Catholic  service  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
or  of  any  branch  thereof.  Accordingly,  it  is  not  the 
peculiar  voice  of  any  one  congregation,  much  less  of 
any  member  of  a  congregation.  Its  confessions,  ado- 
rations, and  thanksgivings  are  common  to  the  whole 
body  of  the  f  aithf  nl.  Whatever  does  not  belong  to  the 
whole  body,  and  cannot  be  uttered  by  all  the  faithful,  is 
foreign  to  the  liturgy.  Hence  the  special  prayers  of 
a  particular  congregation  do  not  belong  to  it.  In  the 
far  greater  part,  indeed,  the  prayers  of  any  congre- 
gation will  be  identical  with  the  Common  Prayer  of 
the  church,  and  in  that  find  all  the  expression  they 
need.  But  the  two  are  not  always  identical.  Every 
congregation,  either  from  temporary  circumstances  or 
from  fellow-feeling  with  some  of  its  members,  has  its 
own  subjects  of  supplication  and  praise  for  which 
the  Common  Prayer  does  not  supply  the  adequate 
expression.  It  is  not  designed  to  supjily  it ;  such  is 
not  its  office  :  its  office  is  general,  not  particular.  Its 
utterances  are  those  of  the  whole  body,  not  of  the 
separate  parts;  but  —  and  here  is  the  question  — 
shall  the  separate  parts,  say  the  congregations,  huve 
no  utterances  of  their  own  ?     Is  it  the  province  of 


102       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

the  liturgy  to  hold  them  dumb  in  aught  pertaining 
immediately  to  themselves  ?  Is  it  her  prerogative 
to  monopolize  the  sanctuary,  and  to  hush  therein  the 
lisping  of  a  syllable  beyond  her  own  ?  Has  not  each 
assembly  of  God's  elect  its  own  jubilates,  and  mise- 
reres, and  outpouring  of  its  own  griefs  and  joys, 
or  the  griefs  and  joys  of  its  members,  which  it  adopts 
as  its  own  ?  While,  as  a  liturgus,  I  celebrate  the 
liturgy,  and  do  all  my  duty  in  that  regard,  may  I 
never,  as  an  evangelist,  pray  as  I  am  moved  for  the 
conversion  of  the  sinners  to  whom  I  preach  ?  or,  as 
an  under  -  shepherd  of  the  sheep  committed  to  my 
care,  am  I  never  to  plead  in  their  behalf  and  among 
them,  without  restraint,  to  the  Great  Shepherd,  who, 
while  He  cares  for  his  world-wide  flock,  has  a  tender 
interest  in  his  sheep  one  by  one,  —  who  '  gathers  the 
lambs  in  his  arm,  and  carries  them  in  his  bosom '  ? 
Is  the  genius  of  the  liturgy  so  cold-hearted  ?  No,  it 
is  not  the  genius  of  the  liturgy.  It  is  not  the  spirit 
of  the  church,  of  whose  charity  the  liturgy  is  full. 
It  is  an  extraordinary  act  of  legislation,  which,  how- 
ever it  found  its  way  into  the  statute  book,  if  allowed 
to  continue  there,  can  only  be  with  the  understand- 
ing that  it  is  not  to  be  enforced.  Let  not,  then, 
things  which  are  distinct  in  their  nature  and  purpose 
be  confounded.  The  Liturgy,  the  Common  Prayer, 
is  one  thing,  —  free  prayer,  special  prayer  (in  words 
original  or  selected,  written  or  extemporary),  is  an- 
other. Each  has  its  own  sphere,  —  neither  interferes 
with  the  other.  We  may  contend  with  equal  ear- 
nestness for  both.    To  one  I  am  bomid  as  a  presbyter 


HIS   TYPE   OF   CHURCH MANSEIP.  103 

of  the  church ;  the  other  I  claim  as  a  minister  of 
Christ's  gospel,  standing  '  fast  in  the  liberty  where- 
with He  has  made  us  free.'  Only  let  this  distinction 
be  understood  and  acted  on.  Those  who  now  seem 
to  differ  so  widely  will  then  be  glad  to  bear  with  one 
another  as  brethren,  and,  while  adhering  to  their  own 
preferences,  will  be  happy  in  coming  to  a  brotherly 
agreement."  ^ 

II. 

The  unique  feature  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's 
cliurelimanship  was  that  there  were  no  self-de- 
lusions in  it.  He  started  with  no  a  priori  as- 
sumptions. Unlike  Newman,  he  did  not  begin 
with  the  arbitrary  postulate  that  there  must  be 
a  visible  Holy  Catholic  Church  somewhere,  and 
then  proceed  to  reason  that  the  Anglican  Com- 
munion is  not  it,  as  it  has  not  the  distinguish- 
ing notes  of  Catholicity,  and  that  therefore  the 
Church  of  Rome  must  be  it.  On  the  contrary, 
he  addressed  himself  to  the  inquiry  whether 
there  were  any  Holy  Catholic  Church  visible 
anywhere  in  this  world ;  and  that  inquiry  com- 
pelled him  soberly  to  conclude  and  manfully 
acknowledge  that  no  such  Catholic  institution 
existed,  nor  had  existed  on  the  earth,  since  that 
dark  day  so  many  centuries  ago,  when  the  Pope 
of  Rome  anathematized  and  excommunicated 
the  Greek  patriarchs  and  the  Eastern  Church. 

^  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  pp.  293-298, 


104       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

The  Roman  Church,  with  its  tAvofold  yoke  of 
assent  to  the  Tridentine  Creed  and  loyalty  to 
the  papal  autocracy  as  the  twin  tests  of  Cath- 
olicity, he  regarded  as  perhaps  the  farthest  from 
Apostolic  Catholicity  of  any  church  in  Christen- 
dom. 

Turning  to  the  different  denominations  of 
Protestant  Christianity,  he  found  that  they  made 
no  claim  to  Catholicity,  and  even  manifested  a 
sort  of  prejudice  against  the  word  itself  as 
savoring  too  much  of  Romanist  pretension  and 
arrogance.  They  were  Catholic  neither  in  creed 
nor  practice,  nor  was  this  their  aim.  Anglican 
Catholicity  he  found,  upon  the  most  patient 
and  prolonged  investigation,  to  be  no  less  a  fig- 
ment and  no  less  an  ism  than  Roman  Cathol- 
icism. He  was  broader  and  more  searching  in 
his  analysis  than  Newman,  if  less  erudite,  and 
equally  unflinching  in  his  verdict.  In  the  thor- 
oughgoing Erastianism  of  the  mother  church, 
irrespective  of  any  other  feature,  he  recognized, 
with  the  glance  of  common  sense,  an  effectual 
bar  to  catholicity.  The  American  branch  of 
the  Anglo-Catholic  communion  —  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of 
America  —  he  knew  to  be  toiling  in  the  bondage 
of  sect.  Her  worship  was  non-catholic  in  point 
of  PROscription  ;  her  system  was  sectarian  in 
point  of  PREscription.    She  made  stalwart  claims 


HIS   TYPE   OF   CHURCHMANSHIP.  105 

to  historic  catholicity,  but  this  was  not  the  style 
of  catholicity  which  Dr,  Muhlenberg  held  aloft 
as  his  ideal.  If  the  historic  catholicity  were  not 
likewise  a  living  and  actual  catholicity,  he  knew 
that  it  could  bring  no  hel2)ful  force  or  message 
to  the  present  age ;  and  unfortunately  the  living 
and  actual  catholicity  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church,  in  her  semi-colonial  narrowness,  was 
discredited  and  positively  disproven  by  present 
and  indisputable  facts  of  her  practice. 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  made  no  moan  over  this  dis- 
covery. The  sorrow  which  this  vision  of  the 
real  state  of  the  Christian  world  entailed  upon 
the  soul  of  the  seer  remained  locked  in  the  pri- 
vacy of  his  own  breast.  He  never  agonized  in 
public  ;  he  was  incapable  of  writing  such  a  sub- 
tle piece  of  subjective  analysis  as  an  Apologia 
pro  vita  sua.  Having  recognized  the  unwelcome 
facts  of  the  situation,  he  proclaimed  them,  and 
while  doing  so  employed  himself  in  the  most 
natural  and  matter-of-fact  methods  available  for 
the  accomplishment  of  some  effective  remed3^ 
As  the  great  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament 
were  preeminently  men  of  action  and  efficiency 
in  practical  affairs,  so  was  it  with  this  gospel 
and  church  prophet  of  our  time.  His  efforts 
for  the  practical  reformation  of  modern  Chris- 
tianity, in  its  church  aspects,  extended  in  two 
different  directions,  and  were  exercised  in  two 


lOG      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

separate  spheres,  viz.,  in  the  parish  of  the  Holy 
Communion,  and  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  at  large.  He  boldly  struck,  in  his  own 
words,  for  "  emancipating  the  episcopate,"  and 
"  unsectarizing  the  church."  ^  The  history  and 
results  of  his  work  in  this  latter  direction  form 
the  subject  of  the  succeeding  chapter. 

III. 

In  his  own  parochial  ministrations  Dr.  Muh- 
lenberg boldly  exercised  a  large  part  of  that 
catholic  and  evangelical  liberty  for  which  he  so 
earnestly  contended  in  behalf  of  his  brethren  of 
the  clergy,  and  of  the  laity  as  well,  in  the  church 
at  large.  The  broad  principles  of  churchman- 
ship,  enunciated  in  the  foregoing  excerpts  from 
his  published  papers,  found  their  practical  appli- 
cation and  their  embodied  working  in  the  church 
and  parish  of  the  Holy  Communion  during  his 
rectorship  there.  The  chief  purpose  of  this  en- 
terprise was  the  establisliment  of  a  free  church, 
where  the  rich  and  the  poor  might  meet  together 
in  the  house  of  the  Lord.  One  of  the  leading 
motives  that  prompted  him  to  initiate  the  "  Me- 
morial Movement "  was  the  hope  of  attaining 
some  authorized  modification  of  the  church  sys- 
tem and  worship  which  would  enable  her  to 
deal  more  effectively  with  the  masses  of  the  peo- 

^  These  two  expressions  are  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  own  creation. 


HIS    TYPE   OF   CHURCBMANSHIP.  107 

pie.  He  found  it  everywhere  an  acknowledged 
fact,  that  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  was 
the  church  of  the  rich,  and  not  of  the  common 
people,  and  one  of  his  leading  aims  was  to  rem- 
edy this  defect  by  securing  greater  flexibility 
and  adaptation  of  church  methods  to  popular 
needs.  The  result  of  his  example  is  most  marked 
to-day  in  the  church  life  of  the  metropolis,  with 
its  free  and  cosmopolitan  type  of  churchman- 
ship.  In  the  case  of  his  own  parish,  he  brought 
this  problem  to  a  satisfactory  solution,  and 
afforded  a  living  illustration  of  many  of  the 
changes  in  method  which  he  advocated.  As  a 
concrete  example  is  much  more  attractive  than 
any  statement  of  abstract  principles,  it  will  be 
interesting  before  the  close  of  this  chapter  to 
review  the  salient  features  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's 
work  in  this  parish  and  their  main  results.  The 
church,  as  has  been  said,  was  free,  being  sup- 
ported wholly  by  the  offertory.  Whether  there 
was  any  understanding  with  refei"ence  to  the 
customary  occupancy  of  particular  pews  by  the 
different  families  composing  the  parish,  we  are 
not  informed.  In  the  matter  of  voluntary  offer- 
ings, however,  the  people  were  taught  to  give  ac- 
cording to  their  several  ability.  At  first  there 
was  an  understanding  between  the  more  wealthy 
members  as  to  the  approximate  sums  necessary 
for  each  to  contribute  in  order  to  meet  the  aggre- 


108       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

gate  expenses  ;  but  with  the  further  growth  of 
the  parish,  aiid  the  establishment  of  the  people  in 
the  principles  and  the  habit  of  giving,  this  be- 
came unnecessary  and  was  discontinued.  A  very 
large  proportion  of  the  jDoorer  class  of  people 
soon  became  attached  to  the  church,  and  were 
counted  among  its  regular  worshipers,  many  of 
them  also  being  communicants.  Through  the 
example,  the  teaching,  and  the  influence  of  Dr. 
Muhlenberg,  the  wealthier  members  of  the  flock 
came  more  and  more  into  a  very  tender  and  real 
sympathy  with  these  humbler  ones.  The  atmos- 
phere of  the  church  in  its  worship  and  in  its  so- 
cial life  was  that  of  a  true  household  of  God. 
The  Fatherhood  of  Him  from  whom  ever}'^  father- 
hood in  heaven  and  earth  is  named  was  a  real- 
ized fact  in  the  knowledge  and  experience  of 
the  indi\"idual ;  and  the  consequent  brotherhood 
of  men  became  a  living  reality  in  the  common 
life. 

It  was  the  writer's  privilege  some  years  ago 
to  travel  in  Italy  with  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  suc- 
cessor at  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion, 
Rev.  F.  E.  Lawrence,  D.  D.,  and  to  learn  from 
him,  as  well  as  from  the  present  zealous  and  self- 
denying  rector  of  the  same  church.  Rev.  Henry 
Mottet,  D.  D.,  many  incidents  which  show  the 
founder  of  this  church  in  a  new,  and  strong,  and 
unfamiliar  light. 


HIS    TYPE  OF  CHURCHMANSBIP.  109 

It  is  doubtless  true  that  too  many  stories  and 
gossipy  anecdotes  tend  to  cheapen  the  character 
of  our  ideal  saints  and  heroes.  Strong  charac- 
ters need  the  shadow  element  as  truly  as  they 
need  the  element  of  light ;  and  the  electric  glare 
of  too  great  familiarity  tends  to  do  away  with 
that  healthful  obscurity  which  is  necessary  to 
conserve  and  recruit  the  world's  great  person- 
alities. 

A  man  should  always  be  a  hero  to  his  biogra- 
pher, —  if  he  fails  to  be  a  hero  to  his  valet,  — 
and  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  potent  ele- 
ments in  all  hero-worship  is  the  strong^  recog- 
nized element  of  reserve. 

Passing  ove?  these  minor  incidents  of  paro- 
chial life,  we  find  that  the  same  Jme  of  practical 
endeavor  followed  the  vast  development  of  char- 
itable and  benevolent  organization,  which  un- 
questionably took  its  departure  from  the  point 
of  his  influence  and  personality.  Church  organ- 
ization of  charity  there  was  little  previous  to 
Dr.  Muhlenberg.  In  this,  as  in  so  many  other 
directions  of  practical  Christian  achievement,  he 
was  a  i^ioneer.  Even  in  parish  organization  for 
practical  work  he  was  creative.  Not  to  speak 
in  this  connection  of  the  first  Protestant  Sister- 
hood in  America,  established  by  him  as  a  parish 
auxiliary  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion, 
he  originated  an  employment  society  for  furnish- 


110       WILLfAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

ing  needle-work  to  the  indigent  women  of  the 
parish,  a  Church  Dispensar}^  under  the  care  of 
the  Sisterhood,  and  the  Fresh-air  Fund.  This 
latter  phrase,  and  the  thing  corresponding,  were 
both  original  with  liim.  Besides  these  original 
and  distinctive  enterprises  in  parish  organization, 
there  were,  a  day  school  for  boys,  and  another 
for  girls.  Thanksgiving  feasts  and  the  church 
Christmas  trees  for  the  poor.  Parish  organiza- 
tion for  benevolent  work  was,  indeed,  about  as 
backward  in  the  metropolis  as  was  corporate 
charity,  until  Dr.  Muhlenberg  gave  it  the  impul- 
sion of  his  creative  and  powerful  genius.  But 
it  was  the  innovations  in  the  customary  order  of 
worship  which  he  practiced  in  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Communion,  which  subjected  him  to  the 
largest  share  of  suspicion  and  misunderstanding. 
He  made  no  pretensions,  of  course,  to  the  litur- 
gical license  which  he  fearlessly  practiced  in  the 
private  chapel  of  the  institute  at  Flushing,  and 
at  St.  Paul's  College ;  but  a  man  of  Dr.  Muh- 
lenberg's spiritual  genius  and  poetic  instincts 
could  not  be  placed  in  church  relations  that  did 
not  admit  of  the  exercise  of  a  legitimate  free- 
dom. To  begin,  he  took  a  decided  departure 
from  4  established  customs  in  this  land  by  estab- 
lishing a  daily  service.  Almost  if  not  the  first 
daily  ser\dce  of  public  worship  ever  maintained 
in   this   country   was    instituted    by  Dr.    Muh- 


HIS    TYPE   OF  CHURCnMANSEJP.  Ill 

lenberg  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Commu- 
nion. With  regard  to  this  service  he  thus  ex- 
pressed himself  in  the  "  Evangelical  Catholic," 
1851:  — 

"  If  there  were  no  other  argument  for  the  constant 
morning  and  evening  prayer  in  our  churches  (and  we 
confess  that  its  expediency  in  all  cases  is  a  question), 
there  is  one  which  should  weigh  with  Protestants,  viz., 
that  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  thus  publicly  read,  in 
course,  for  the  benefit  of  all  who  choose  to  hear. 
This  is  a  great  office  for  which  our  church  has  pro- 
vided, and  which  we  believe  is  peculiar  to  her  among 
the  churches  in  Christendom.  She  is  thus  a  perpet- 
ual preacher  of  the  pure  word  of  God.  Though 
there  be  but  a  solitary  few  to  listen,  she  acquits  her- 
self of  her  duty  in  proclaiming  the  whole  counsel  of 
her  Lord.  The  thought  is  indeed  sublime,  that  from 
year  to  year,  from  age  to  age,  her  voice  as  God's 
prophet  keeps  sounding  on,  in  the  same  old  words  of 
Holy  Writ,  ceaseless  and  constant  in  its  utterance  as 
the  rising  and  setting  of  the  sun." 

How  far  he  was  from  being  blind  to  the 
possible  abuses  and  mischiefs  of  such  a  ser\ace 
is  evident  from  the  following  letter  to  Doctor 
Kerf oot :  — 

"  May  2,  1848. 

"  My  advice  with  regard  to  the  daily  service  I  must 
give  you  in  a  few  words.  If  you  introduce  it,  by  no 
means  make  attendance  compulsory  on  the  boys,  not 


112      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

even  on  the  communicants.  A  short  service  morning 
and  evening  is  enough  for  any  of  them.  I  tell  my 
own  people  that  I  do  not  wish  to  see  them  twice  a 
day  at  church,  except  those  who  have  leisure  thus  to 
consecrate. 

"  Family  and  private  devotions  I  know  are  suffering 
from  this  fashion  (for  I  fear  it  is  getting  to  be  such) 
for  church-going.  Besides,  '  Dearly  Beloved  '  twice 
a  day  is  an  absurd  formality,  both  for  minister  and 
people ;  and  the  confession  and  absolution  so  con- 
stantly repeated  is  unfavorable  to  genuine  penitence, 
and  any  due  appreciation  of  the  '  pardoning  power  of 
the  priest.'  Whatever  it  be,  all  our  services  of 
course  must  be  penitential,  more  or  less,  and  the  fre- 
quent use  of  '  Kyi'ie  Eleison  '  in  all  liturgies  is  very 
proper.  But  that  is  very  different  from  a  solemn 
and  regular  confession  and  absolution  at  every  morn- 
ing and  evening  prayers.  You  know  it  was  not  so  in 
the  first  book,  and  it  was  not  until  after  several  re- 
views that  these  additions  were  made  to  the  evening 
prayer.  If  I  had  time  I  would  write  a  tract  on  this 
subject  that  would  convince  everybody  that  I  am  right. 
Be  mainly  concerned  about  your  boys  '  entering  into 
their  closets,'  and  their  using  themselves  to  ejacula- 
tory  prayer  wherever  they  are.  Nevertheless,  wher- 
ever practicable,  I  think  that  a  parish  church  should  be 
open  morning  and  evening,  that  the  people  may  repair 
thither  whenever  they  can,  and  find  the  priest  minis- 
tering there  in  behalf  of  the  whole  congregation.  So 
great  is  my  dread  of  frequent  and  long  public  services 
upon  children,  that  it  is  my  chief  objection  to  choris- 


HIS    TYPE   OF  CHURCHMANSHIP.  113 

ters  chanting  the  service  daily.  Look  at  the  English 
Cathedral  boys.  I  inquired  of  the  organist  o£  West- 
minster whether  some  of  them  did  not  become  cler- 
gymen.    He  nevei-  heard  of  such  a  thing  I  " 

In  a  letter  to  his  clear  friend  Dr.  Kerfoot  he 
writes  as  follows  :  ^  — 

'' November  2Q,  1852. 

"  There  is  something  more  than  a  fancy  in  Evan- 
gelical Catholicism.  For  example,  the  sacraments,  — 
the  Catholic  regards  them  as  God  coming  to  us  in 
them,  and  hence  cannot  say  too  much  of  their  effi- 
cacy :  he  considers  them  objectively.  The  Evangelical 
thinks  only  of  his  coming  to  God  in  the  sacraments, 
and  hence  is  taken  up  with  his  own  faith  and  disposi- 
tions in  order  to  their  efficacy :  he  considers  them 
subjectively.  The  Roman  Catholic,  and  the  Anglo- 
Catholic  too,  is  intensely  objective  in  his  view  of  the 
sacraments.  The  Evangelical,  or  rather  the  "  E  "van- 
gelical,  is  intensely  subjective  :  the  Evangelical  Catho- 
lic considers  them  both  objectively  and  subjectively, 
and  hence  is  right.  So  of  faith,  —  the  Catholic  asks 
ivhat  he  is  to  believe,  the  Evangelical  hoiv  he  is  to 
believe.  .  .  .  All  through,  Catholicism  is  objective, 
as  you  will  see  on  trial.  .  .  .  Catholicism,  unchecked, 
leads  to  consolidated  churchism  and  superstition ; 
Evangelicalism,  to  individualism  and  rationalism." 

Dr.  Mulilenberg  was  also  among  the  first  to 
inaugurate  the  practice  of  a  weekly  celebration 

1  Life  of  Kerfoot,  by  Hall  Harrison,  pp.  130,  131. 


114       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

of  the  lioly  communion.  This  step  was  not  taken, 
however,  until  after  he  had  been  for  some  time 
rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion, 
and  knew  something  of  the  temper  and  needs  of 
his  people.  There  was  nothing  whatever  of  the 
Mass  idea  in  his  underlying  motive  for  this  in- 
novation. Nor  was  it  with  the  idea  of  encourag- 
ing frequent  receptions  of  the  sacrament  that  he 
established  such  a  usage. 

No  one  appreciated  more  nearly  at  their  true 
value  than  he,  the  possible  dangers  of  such  a 
custom,  remembering  the  innate  tendency  to  su- 
perstition in  the  human  mind  ;  and  later  in  life 
he  seemed  more  clearly  to  recognize  the  impor- 
tance of  enlarging  more  frequently  upon  these 
dangers.  Nevertheless  he  deemed  it  a  matter  of 
very  considerable  moment,  in  a  church  like  that 
of  the  Holy  Communion,  that  all  should  have 
full  and  free  opportunity  to  partake  with  some- 
thing like  regidai-ity.  The  weekly  celebration  he 
regarded  as  extremely  valuable  in  offering  the 
comforts  and  heljjs  of  the  sacrament  to  those  who, 
on  account  of  some  personal  experience  of  grief 
or  joy,  most  needed  it,  and  at  the  time  when  they 
most  needed  it. 

The  people  were  clearly  taught  that  each 
communicant  was  not  expected  to  partake  each 
Lord's  day  ;  but  the  holy  table  was  spread  each 
recurring  Lord's  day,  in  order  that  all  might  have 


ins   TYPE    OF  CEVRCHMANSHIP.  115 

equal  and  abundant  opportunity  to  partake.  In- 
timately associated  with  this  custom,  and  almost 
necessitated  by  the  reason  which  led  to  its  estab- 
lishment, was  the  di\asion  of  the  offices  in  the 
Sunday  service,  which  he  was  the  first  to  intro- 
duce. Instead  of  following  the  traditional  prac- 
tice of  one  continuous  service  for  morning 
prayer,  litany,  and  holy  communion,  he  took  a 
step  in  the  direction  of  return  to  the  ancient 
custom  of  employing  these  distinct  offices  at  sep- 
arate times. 

The  regnilar  order  for  morning  prayer  was  ob- 
served at  nine  o'clock ;  followed  by  the  litany, 
ante-commimion  service,  sermon,  and  offertory  at 
half-past  ten.  Then,  dispersing  for  an  interval 
of  some  fifteen  minutes,  the  congregation  reas- 
sembled at  twelve  for  the  holy  communion. 

This  made  it  possible  for  all  the  members  of 
the  different  households  in  the  parish  to  be  pres- 
ent at  one  at  least  of  the  Sunday  services,  and  also 
to  receive  the  holy  communion  certainly  as  often 
as  once  a  month,  or  oftener  if  desired.  In  many 
of  these  services  conducted  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg 
at  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  it  is 
evident  that  the  pattern  which  he  had  before  his 
mind  was  that  of  St.  Peter's,  Philadelphia,  with 
which  he  had  been  familiar  in  his  early  days. 
These,  however,  were  not  the  only  novel  features 
introduced  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg  into  the  worship 


116       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion.  The 
fact  that  forty  years  ago  the  chanting  of  the 
psalter  antiphonally  by  the  choir  in  the  church 
was  among  the  many  innovations  which  caused 
no  little  stir  among  the  dry  bones  of  a  stereo- 
t}q3ed  and  formal  conservatism,  may  appear  sur- 
prising to  the  churcliman  of  to-day. 

He  also  had  the  temerity  to  join  the  few  who 
were  discarding  the  black  gown  of  the  period 
for  the  use  of  the  surplice  in  jjreaching.  He 
did  this  because  he  felt  that  the  gown  had  be- 
come the  badge  of  a  party,  while  the  surplice 
was  the  standard  unifoi'm  of  every  minister  of 
the  church. 

We  of  to-day  can  with  difficulty  imagine  a 
time  when  Christmas-trees  were  not ;  yet  when 
Dr.  Muhlenberg  introduced  the  custom  of  a 
parish  Christmas-tree,  it  was  almost  an  unheard- 
of  experiment,  as  were  also  the  matins  of  Christ- 
mas and  Easter  which  he  instituted. 

He  gave  to  the  celebration  of  the  Epiphany 
something  of  its  true  character  as  a  missionary 
festival,  by  devoting  to  the  cause  of  missions  the 
very  large  offerings  which  he  taught  his  peojile 
to  give  at  that  season.  These  things,  in  addition 
to  the  charitable  organizations  of  the  parish,  — 
such  as  the  employment  society  for  helping  the 
poor  women  of  the  church,  the  Sisterhood,  the 
church  dispensary,  church  infirmary,  and  church 


EIS  TYPE  OF   CHURCHMANSHIP.  117 

schools,  —  were  original  contributions  of  Dr. 
Muhlenberg's  personality  to  what  we  recognize 
as  the  customary  and  commonplace  churchman- 
ship  of  to-day. 

In  the  administration  of  his  own  parish,  he 
found  place  and  opportimity  for  the  exercise  of 
that  evangelical  freedom  and  liturgic  license  in 
special  occasions  of  church  worship,  for  which 
he  so  earnestly  contended  in  public  during  the 
succeeding  years  of  his  life.  He  furnished  an  in- 
stance of  this  on  the  occasion  of  a  young  clergy- 
man's departure  as  a  missionary  to  Wisconsin, 
where,  from  having  been  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg's, he  was  called  to  minister  to  a  colony 
from  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  which 
bore  the  same  name  as  the  mother  church.  On 
Sunday,  September  16th,  his  fifty -third  birth- 
day, in  addition  to  the  regular  morning  and  af- 
ternoon services,  he  held  in  the  church  a  sort  of 
missionary  meeting,  beginning  with  the  Lord's 
Prayer  as  they  knelt,  followed  by  the  versicles. 

The  choir  sang  an  anthem  and  the  "  Bene- 
dic  ;  "  there  was  a  lesson  from  Isaiah,  thirty-fifth 
chapter,  and  some'  remarks  from  the  rector,  in- 
troducing Bishop  Kemper,  of  Wisconsin,  who 
gave  an  interesting  address  with  reference  to  the 
work  in  his  diocese,  and  a  happy  allusion  to  the 
colony,  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  to 
whom  the  mother  church  of  the  same  name  was 


118       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

about  to  send  a  minister.  Then  followed  a  few 
parting  words  to  the  missionary  from  the  rector, 
a  missionary  hymn,  a  few  collects,  including  the 
one  in  the  institution  office,  and  the  benediction 
by  the  bishoj).  The  service  was  hearty,  and  very 
effective  in  kindling  a  missionary  enthusiasm 
among  the  people,  many  of  whom  remained  to 
bid  the  missionary  good-by  after  the  services; 
but  a  couple  of  church  dignitaries,  and  a  number 
of  city  clergy  who  were  present,  held  aloof  with 
such  evident  coldness  and  disapproval  of  the 
irregularity  in  the  service  as  to  provoke  the  doc- 
tor's exclamation,  "  Can  we  do  nothing  except  we 
begin,  '  Dearly  beloved  bretliren  '  ?  Are  rubrics 
to  be  the  choke-strings  of  the  heart  ?  " 

Dr.  Muhlenberg,  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Conmiunion,  also  organized  the  first  boy  choir 
ever  successfully  employed  in  New  York  in  con- 
nection with  the  service  of  praise.  He  had  an 
unqualified  abhorrence  of  the  regulation  quar- 
tette choir,  and  his  musical  accomplishments 
and  fine  taste  enabled  him  to  develop  this  ele- 
ment of  the  service,  by  means  of  congregational 
singing  led  by  the  choir  of  boys,  to  an  excep- 
tional degree  of  beauty  and  perfection. 

It  is  difficult  at  the  present  period,  when 
most  of  these  practices  have  become  customary 
throughout  the  entire  church,  to  realize  the  com- 
ment which  they  elicited  at  the  time.  His 
heroic,  and  apparently  in  its  calmness,   uncon- 


HIS    TYPE  OF   CHURCHMANSHIP.  119 

scions,  departure  from  the  stereoty]3ecl  formality 
and  coldness  of  the  worship  at  that  time,  sub- 
jected him  to  all  manner  of  suspicions,  and  even 
oijprobrium,  which  he  silently  bore,  knowing 
how  unjust  and  unfounded  they  were.  When 
the  hour  came,  however,  for  achieving  a  higher 
purpose  than  mere  self  -  vindication,  he  boldly 
undeceived  his  false  accusers  in  a  manner  that 
created  much  more  excitement,  and  subjected 
him  to  a  larger  share  of  uncharitable  judgment 
in  the  opposite  direction  than  his  supposed 
ritualistic  or  Romanizing  tendencies  had  done. 
But  the  history  of  this  belongs  to  the  Memorial 
Movement  and  the  following  chapter. 

All  the  unwarrantable  inferences  of  his  sus- 
picious critics  with  regard  to  his  ritual  beliefs 
were  drawn,  as  he  himself  said,  "  from  what 
they  thought  they  saw,  never  from  what  they 
heard."  It  came  from  the  old  sin  of  putting 
a  prosaic  interpretation  or  construction  upon 
things  in  their  nature  poetical.  The  influence  of 
Dr.  Muhlenberg's  example,  however,  in  his  per- 
sonal ministrations  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Communion  was  as  potent  towards  the  realiza- 
tion of  that  Evangelical  and  Catholic  liberty 
toward  which  the  church  is  now  so  steadily  ad- 
vancing, as  was  his  public  championship  of  the 
cause  in  the  Memorial  Movement,  —  perhaps 
more  powerful,  because  more  silent,  subtle,  and 
irresistible  in  its  secret  operation. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL 
MOVEMENT. 


"As  we  review  the  history  of  the  ecclesiastical  reaction 
which  now  shows  signs  of  having  spent  its  force,  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  the  crusade  against  the  human  reason,  in  which  New- 
man was  a  leading  representative,  has  not  been  successful. 
What  the  age  now  demands  is  the  enforcement  of  the  princi- 
ples for  which  the  reason  has  been  furnishing  the  materials  in 
superabundant  measure.  The  effort  to  repress  the  reason  has 
come  too  late  in  the  world's  history  to  attain  success.  The 
tide  of  things  is  setting  more  and  more  strongly  against  eccle- 
siastical obscuration.  We  owe  another  debt  to  Newman  and 
to  Mansel  than  those  we  generally  acknowledge.  Tlie  one  has 
shown  in  a  typical  way,  which  has  had  no  such  illustration 
since  the  days  of  Augustine,  how  distrust  of  the  reason  must 
logically  end  in  acknowledging  an  infallible  pope.  The  other, 
in  his  chivalric  attempt  to  defend  the  traditional  dogmas,  or 
to  overcome  the  Germanism,  as  he  called  it,  which  was  infect- 
ing the  church,  could  accomplish  his  purpose  only  by  cutting 
away  the  foundations  on  which  the  possibility  of  a  revelation 
rests. 

"  These  instances  teach  us  anew  that  modern  Christianity  is 
committed  to  progress  and  growth  in  the  knowledge  of  God 
and  of  his  revelation. 

"If  it  is  dangerous  to  advance  it  is  only  more  dangerous  to 
retreat.  The  human  reason  at  last  is  free,  and  is  increasingly 
realizing  what  freedom  means.  Christianity  must  now  trust, 
as  indeed  it  is  trusting,  to  its  own  merits  for  its  vindication  to 
the  reason.  It  must  stand  or  fall,  as  it  can  show  itself  to 
be  true."  —  Rev.  A.  V.  G.  Allen,  Continuity  of  Christian 
Thought. 

"  Is  it,  then,  to  be  the  end  of  all  our  litigations,  theories, 
and  attempted  scientific  constructions,  that  after  our  heats 
of  controversy  have  cooled,  and  our  fires  of  extirpation  have 
quite  burned  away,  we  come  back  to  the  same  kind  of  preach- 
ing alphabet  in  which  the  first  fathers  had  their  simple  begin- 
nings ?  Be  it  so.  And  yet  the  labor  we  have  spent  has  been 
by  no  means  lost :  we  shall  come  back  into  that  preaching 
with  an  immense  advantage  gained  over  those  fathers.  What 
they  did  in  their  simplicity,  we  shall  do  in  a  way  of  well- 
directed  reason.  Their  simplicity,  in  fact,  supposed  the  cer- 
tainty of  all  these  long  detours  of  labor  and  contest  to  come 
afterwards ;  bnt  we,  in  our  return,  come  back  with  our  experi- 
ments all  made  and  detours  all  ended,  not  simply  to  preach 
Christ  just  in  their  manner,  but  to  do  it  because  we  have  finally 
proved  the  wisdom  of  it,  and  the  foolishness  of  everything 
else,  —  advantages  which  are  worth  to  us  all  they  have  cost." 

BUSHNELL. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    HISTORY    OF    THE    MEMORIAL    MOVEMENT. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1853,  as  a  boy  of 
ten  years  of  age,  I  remember  going  to  the  Gen- 
eral Convention  of  the  Episcopal  Church  held 
in  St.  John's  Church,  in  New  York. 

A  great  movement  of  some  sort  was  on  hand, 
and  I  remember  distinctly  the  impression  created 
upon  my  mind  when  a  delegation  of  clergymen, 
headed  by  a  striking  looking  man  with  a  poetic 
face,  walked  up  the  main  aisle,  and  presented  a 
wi'itten  document  to  the  dignified  presiding  offi- 
cer of  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Creighton  of  Tarrytown,  New  York. 
It  was  Dr.  Muhlenberg  who  headed  the  proces- 
sion on  that  occasion ;  the  Memorial  Papers 
formed  the  document  then  presented  ;  and  the 
little  boy  in  the  pew  was  the  unconscious  his- 
torian who,  in  the  present  chapter,  seeks  to  de- 
scribe this  historic  event  in  the  history  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica. Strangely  enough,  for  years  afterwards, 
whenever  the  thouglit  of  the  poet  Dante  was 
presented  to  my  mind,  it  always  seemed  as  if 


124       WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

somewhere,  either  here  or  in  some  preexistent 
life,  I  had  once  seen  the  man  who  has  pictured 
for  us  "  The  Inferno,"  "  The  Purgatorio,"  and 
"  The  Paradiso,"  and  was  in  some  strange  way 
familiar  with  his  face.  This  confused  impres- 
sion never  was  explained  until  one  day,  when 
looking  at  a  photograph  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  it 
flashed  upon  my  mind  that  I  had  confounded 
the  two  appearances,  and  that  the  face,  seen  as 
a  child  in  the  far-off  convention,  had  come  to 
stand  as  the  face  of  the  poet  Dante. 

The  recently  published  life  of  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg, together  with  his  "  Memorial  Papers," 
have  made  this  position  which  he  took  upon  the 
subject  of  church  expansion  familiar  to  aU  stu- 
dents of  present  church  history.  There  is  noth- 
ing in  the  history  of  the  American  Church  so 
fraught  with  great  possibilities  as  the  outline 
of  the  future  which  he  sketched  with  a  firm 
hand  and  a  believing  soul.  This  vision  is  for 
an  appointed  time ;  and  the  seer,  being  dead, 
yet  speaketh.  The  lesser  objects  sought  for  in 
these  Memorial  Papers,  such  as  the  relaxation  of 
the  stereotype  order  of  services  and  the  enrich- 
ment and  flexibility  of  the  liturgy,  have  been 
already  attained.  The  one  great  object  of  his 
life,  as  he  pressed  again  and  again  for  the  ap- 
pointment, by  the  General  Convention,  of  a 
standing  Episcopal  commission  upon  the  subject 


HISTORY  OF  TEE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     125 

of  cliurch  unity,  yet  awaits  accomplishment. 
The  day  for  its  realization  has  been  postponed 
until  two  results  have  been  gained  by  the  church 
at  large  :  first,  its  deeper  sense  of  the  need  of 
a  unification  of  Protestant  Christendom,  as  new 
and  unforeseen  dangers  thicken  upon  us;  and, 
secondly,  a  faith  that  ^vill  accept  this  high  ideal 
as  among  the  possibilities,  according  to  our 
Lord's  words,  —  "  All  things  are  possible  to  him 
that  belie veth." 

The  principal  object  of  the  Memorial  was  to 
liberalize  and  utilize  the  latent  and  hitherto  in- 
operative forces  of  the  church.  This  Memorial 
Movement  looked  both  to  the  liberalizing  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  within  the  bounds  of  lawful 
freedom,  and  also  to  the  practical  precedent 
which  it  set  to  the  Christians  of  other  names 
in  the  scattered  ranks  of  Protestantism.  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  explained  its  twofold  object  in  the 
series  of  papers  which  he  called  the  "  Evangel- 
ical Catholic  Papers." 

Much  of  the  information  upon  this  subject,  as 
well  as  the  motive-power  which  first  lodged  the 
Muhlenberg  conception  of  Catholic  Christian- 
ity in  the  writer's  mind,  came  from  the  inspira- 
tion of  one  of  the  most  precious  friendships  of 
younger  days  in  the  ministry,  the  strong  and 
fraternal  friendship  of  that  large-hearted  father 
of  yesterday,  Dr.  Edward  A.   AVashburn,  who, 


120       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

with  his  helpful  and  sympathetic  wife  in  the 
spacious  study  of  Calvary  rectory  in  New  York, 
always  made  it  a  privilege  to  Hsten  to  the  stories 
of  this  true  saint  of  God. 

This  friend,  whose  body  now  rests  by  the  side 
of  his  saintly  companion  in  the  quiet  shades  of 
the  realized  dream  of  St.  Johnlaud,  thus  speaks 
of  him  :  — 

"  It  was  then  (at  the  date  of  the  Memorial)  that 
I  first  knew  him  personally  ;  and  never  can  I  forget 
the  impression  he  left  on  me.  He  was  at  his  ripest 
age.  The  glow  of  youth  had  passed  into  a  large  wis- 
dom, but  there  was  childlike  faith,  —  the  intuition 
of  the  heart,  the  broken  torrent  of  eloquent  speech, 
the  grand,  catholic  aspiration.  Every  conversation  on 
the  Memorial  comes  back  to  me.  It  was  his  convic- 
tion that  our  church  needed  to  act,  with  all  its  capa- 
bilities, in  the  vast,  growing  field  of  missions  and  of 
ministries  for  all  conditions  of  men.  But  more  tban 
this,  he  felt  that  the  best  way  of  reconciliation  for  our 
strifes  was  larger  room  for  real  work.  High  and  low 
parties  were  wasting  their  strength  in  quarrel  over 
rubrics.  The  strife,  in  his  view,  was  embittered  be- 
cause both  were  hemmed  within  the  small  area  of  an 
inflexible  system.  At  this  very  hour  a  large  part  of 
the  freedom  which  the  Memorial  asked  is  virtually 
gained."  ^ 

The  immediate   aim  of  the  Memorial  Move- 

^   Vine  out  of  Egypt,  p.  110. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL   MOVEMENT.     127 

ment  was  to  secure  larger  practical  results  in 
poj)ular  evangelization  and  religious  training. 

It  was  undertaken  in  consequence  of  Dr. 
Muhlenberg's  painful  conviction  —  as  lie  viewed 
the  widespread  and  acknowledged  alienation  of 
the  masses  from  her  —  that  the  Church  was  not 
fulfilling  her  commission  as  a  missionary  organ- 
ization. It  was  the  practical  exigency,  and  the 
effort  to  pro\ade  a  practical  remedy  for  existing 
evils,  that  determined  his  action.  The  great  ul- 
terior result  contemplated  as  incidental  to  this 
noble  design  was,  however,  nothing  less  ideal 
than  the  restoration  of  a  genuine  Catholic  unity 
from  the  isolated  fragments  of  a  dismembered 
Protestantism.  Thus  the  ideal  and  the  actual, 
the  poetic  and  the  practical,  were  ever  wedded 
in  the  vision  of  this  poet-workman. 

As  the  nearest  means  of  entering  upon  the 
march  toward  the  realization  of  these  grand 
aims,  the  Memorialists,  as  we  have  seen,  boldly 
struck  for  "  emancipating  the  episcopate,"  to  use 
Dr.  Muhlenl)erg's  expressive  words,  "  and  unsec- 
tarizing  the  church."  The  first  point  to  be 
gained,  in  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  estimation,  was  an 
ecclesiastical  system,  broader  and  more  compre- 
hensive, and  at  the  same  time  more  flexible,  than 
was  at  that  time  administered  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.  The  manner  of  inaugurating 
the  Movement  was  characteristic,  and  illustrated 


128      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

Dr.  Muhlenberg's  genius  for  leadership.  That 
he  was  born  to  be  a  leader  of  men  was  mani- 
fest in  everything  that  he  did.  In  replying  to 
a  friend  desiring  instruction  upon  the  initiation 
of  a  work  of  charity,  and  the  best  methods  to  be 
pursued,  he  strongly  advised  against  beginning 
with  any  formal  announcement  of  the  work,  and 
against  calling  together  all  friends  of  the  move- 
ment. Such  a  course  would  bring  forth  a  mul- 
titude of  sterile  counsels  from  the  omniscience 
of  friends  who  affect  to  know  all  about  the  mat- 
ter, and  think  their  own  methods  the  only  right 
ones.  The  beginnings  of  a  movement  should  be 
always  simple  and  natural,  an  outgrowth  of  its 
own  vitality,  and  nurtured  only  by  those  who 
enter  through  sympathy  and  knowledge  into  its 
true  aims  and  into  the  methods  of  the  mind 
which  gave  it  birth. 

This  was  Dr.  Mulilenberg's  method  of  lead- 
ership in  all  his  undertakings.  His  first  and 
uniform  impulse  was  to  translate  a  deep  and 
abiding  conviction  into  the  sphere  of  action,  and 
by  his  own  act  and  example  to  determine  the 
direction  of  such  activity.  And  thus  the  Memo- 
rial Movement  was  initiated.  "  What  do  we 
mean  ? "  Dr.  Muhlenberg  asked.  "  We  call 
ourselves  Catholics.  What  are  we  doing  for 
the  people,  for  our  brothers  and  sisters  who 
never  hear  the   gospel    preached,  who  will  not 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     129 

come  near  our  churches,  who  claim  that  the 
church  is  only  for  the  rich  ?  .  .  .  Our  position 
is  alike  absurd  and  unchristian."  Then,  more- 
over, he  became  more  and  more  painfully  im- 
pressed with  the  isolation  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Chiu-ch,  and  he  felt  that  effort  should 
be  made  to  bring  the  Christians  of  this  land 
into  something  like  fellowship  on  the  basis  of  a 
common  historic  faith ;  and  while  he  was  giving 
much  thought  and  time  to  the  subject,  he  sud- 
denly, with  that  impulsive  energy  which  comes 
like  an  inspiration  to  a  man  of  genius,  said  to  a 
friend,  "  Let  us  prepare  a  memorial  upon  this 
to  the  House  of  Bishops,  and  if  we  can  get  no 
one  to  sign  it,  we  will  sign  it  ourselves  and  send 
it  in."  This  is  the  origin  of  the  Memorial  sent 
to  the  House  of  Bishops  in  October,  1853,  and 
which  is  known,  and  will  continue  to  be  known, 
as  the  Memorial  Movement.^ 

The  original  document  was  submitted  in  the 
following  terms  :  — 

THE  MEMOEIAL. 

To  the  Bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  Council  assembled : 

"  Right  Reverend  Fathers,  —  The  undersigned, 

^  Rev.  Dr.  Edwin  Harwood,  from  an  address  before  an  asso- 
ciation of  clergymen  of  which  Dr.  Muhlenberg  was,  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  the  senior  member. 


130      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

presbyters  of  the  church  of  which  you  have  the  over- 
sight, venture  to  approach  your  venerable  body  with  an 
expression  of  sentiment  which  their  estimate  of  your 
office  in  relation  to  the  times  does  not  permit  them  to 
withhold.  In  so  doing,  they  have  confidence  in  your 
readiness  to  appreciate  their  motives  and  their  aims. 
The  actual  posture  of  our  church,  with  reference  to  the 
great  moral  and  social  necessities  of  the  day,  presents 
to  the  mind  of  the  undersigned  a  subject  of  grave  and 
anxious  thought.  Did  they  suppose  that  this  was  con- 
fined to  themselves,  they  would  not  feel  warranted  in 
submitting  it  to  your  attention  ;  but  they  believe  it 
to  be  participated  in  by  many  of  their  brethren, 
who  may  not  have  seen  the  expediency  of  declaring 
their  views,  or  at  least  a  mature  season  for  such  a 
course. 

"  The  divided  and  distracted  state  of  our  Ameri- 
can Protestant  Christianity,  the  new  and  subtle  forms 
of  unbelief  adapting  themselves  with  fatal  success 
to  the  sjiirit  of  the  age,  the  consolidated  forces  of 
Romanism  bearing  with  renewed  skill  and  activity 
against  the  Protestant  faith,  and,  as  more  or  less  the 
consequence  of  these,  the  utter  ignorance  of  the  gos- 
pel among  so  large  a  portion  of  the  lower  classes  of 
our  population,  making  a  heathen  world  in  our  midst, 
are  among  the  considerations  which  induce  your  me- 
morialists to  present  the  inquiry  whether  the  period 
has  not  arrived  for  the  adoption  of  measures,  to  meet 
these  exigencies  of  the  times,  more  comprehensive 
than  any  yet  provided  for  by  our  present  ecclesiasti- 
cal system  ;  in  other  words,  whether  the  Protestant 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    131 

Ej^iscopal  Church,  with  only  her  present  canonical 
means  and  appliances,  her  fixed  and  invariable  modes 
of  public  worship,  and  her  traditional  customs  and 
usages,  is  competent  to  the  work  of  preaching  and 
dispensing  the  gospel  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
men,  and  so  adequate  to  do  the  work  of  the  Lord  in 
this  land  and  in  this  age  ?  This  question,  your  petition- 
ers, for  their  own  part,  and  in  consonance  with  many 
thoughtful  minds  among  us,  believe  must  be  answered 
in  the  negative.  Their  memorial  proceeds  on  the  as- 
sumption that  our  church,  confined  to  the  exercise  of 
her  present  system,  is  not  sufficient  to  the  gi-eat  pur- 
poses above  mentioned,  —  that  a  wider  door  must  be 
opened  for  admission  to  the  gospel  ministry  than  that 
through  which  her  candidates  for  holy  orders  are 
now  obliged  to  enter.  Besides  such  candidates  among 
her  own  members,  it  is  believed  that  men  can  be 
found  among  the  other  bodies  of  Christians  around 
us  who  would  gladly  receive  ordination  at  your  hands, 
could  they  obtain  it  without  that  entire  surrender, 
which  would  now  be  required  of  them,  of  all  the  lib- 
erty in  public  worship  to  which  they  have  been  ac- 
customed, —  men  who  could  not  bring  themselves  to 
conform  in  all  particulars  to  our  prescriptions  and 
customs,  but  yet  sound  in  the  faith,  and  who,  having 
tlie  gifts  of  preachers  and  pastors,  would  be  able  min- 
isters of  the  New  Testament. 

"  With  deference  it  is  asked,  ought  such  an  acces- 
sion to  your  means  in  executing  your  high  commis- 
sion, '  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  every  creature,'  to  be  refused,  for  the  sake  of 


132      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

conformity  in  matters  recognized  in  the  Preface  to 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  as  unessentials  ?  Dare 
we  pray  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth  labor- 
ers into  the  harvest  while  we  reject  all  laborers  but 
those  of  one  peculiar  type  ?  The  extension  of  or- 
ders to  the  class  of  men  contemplated  (with  whatever 
safeguards,  not  infringing  on  evangelical  freedom, 
which  your  wisdom  might  deem  expedient)  appears 
to  your  petitioners  to  be  a  subject  supremely  worthy 
of  your  deliberations.  In  addition  to  the  prospect 
of  the  immediate  good  which  would  thus  be  opened, 
an  important  step  would  be  taken  towards  the  effect- 
ing of  a  church  unity  in  the  Protestant  Christendom  of 
our  land.  To  become  a  central  bond  of  union  among 
Christians,  who,  though  differing  in  name,  yet  hold  to 
the  one  faith,  the  one  Lord,  and  the  one  baptism,  and 
who  need  only  such  a  bond  to  be  drawn  together  in 
closer  and  more  primitive  fellowship,  is  here  believed 
to  be  the  peculiar  province  and  high  privilege  of  your 
venerable  body  as  a  College  of  Catholic  and  Apostolic 
Bishops  as  siich. 

"  This  leads  your  petitioners  to  declare  the  ultimate 
design  of  their  Memorial,  —  which  is,  to  submit  the 
practicability,  under  your  auspices,  of  some  ecclesias- 
tical system,  broader  and  more  comprehensive  than 
that  which  you  now  administer,  surrounding  and  in- 
cluding the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  as  it  now  is, 
leaving  that  church  untouched,  identical  with  that 
church  in  all  its  great  principles,  yet  providing  for  as 
much  freedom  in  opinion,  discipline,  and  worship  as 
is  compatible  with  the  essential  faith  and  order  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    133 

gospel.  To  define  and  act  upon  such  a  system,  it  is 
believed,  must  sooner  or  later  be  the  work  of  an 
American  Catholic  Episcopate. 

"  In  justice  to  themselves  on  this  occasion,  your 
memorialists  beg  leave  to  remark  that,  although 
aware  that  the  foregoing  views  are  not  confined  to 
their  own  small  number,  they  have  no  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  any  other  parties  contemplate  a  public  ex- 
pression of  them  like  the  present.  Having,  therefore, 
undertaken  it,  they  trust  that  they  have  not  laid 
themselves  open  to  the  charge  of  unwarranted  intru- 
sion. They  find  their  warrant  in  the  prayer  now 
offered  up  by  all  our  congregations,  '  that  the  com- 
fortable Gospel  of  Christ  may  be  truly  preached, 
truly  received,  and  truly  followed,  in  all  places,  to 
the  breaking  down  of  the  kingdom  of  Sin,  Satan, 
and  Death.'  Convinced  that,  for  the  attainment  of 
these  blessed  words,  there  must  be  some  greater  con- 
cert of  action  among  Protestant  Christians  than  any 
which  yet  exists,  and  believing  that  with  you.  Right 
Reverend  Fathers,  it  rests  to  take  the  first  measures 
tending  thereto,  your  petitioners  could  not  do  less 
than  humbly  submit  their  Memorial  to  such  consider- 
ation as  in  your  wisdom  you  may  see  fit  to  give  it. 
Praying  that  it  may  not  be  dismissed  without  refer- 
ence to  a  commission,  and  assuring  you.  Right  Rev- 
erend Fathers,  of  our  dutiful  veneration  and  esteem, 
"  We  are,  most  respectfully, 

"  Your  brethren  and  servants 

"  In  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 

"  W.  A.  Muhlenberg, 


134       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

C.  F.  Cruse,  Philip  Berry,  Edwin  Harwood,  G.  T. 
Bedell,  Henry  Gregory,  Alex.  H.  Vinton,  M.  A.  De 
Wolfe  Howe,  S.  H.  Turner,  S.  R.  Johnson,  C.  W. 
Andrews,  F.  E.  Lawrence,"  and  others.-^ 

The  presentation  of  the  subject  as  a  memorial 
to  the  House  of  Bishops,  rather  than  as  a  reso- 
lution in  the  lower  house  of  the  Convention,  was 
an  essential  feature  of  the  original  design.  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  placed  the  highest  estimate  upon 
the  episcopate,  as  a  medium  and  an  agency  for 
catholic  order.  His  own  parish,  the  Holy 
Communion,  was  never  represented  in  diocesan 
convention,  for  the  reason  that  he  did  not  ap- 
prove of  the  constitution  of  those  bodies ;  main- 
taining that  a  true  council  of  the  church  should 
consist  only  of  communicating  members,  and  that, 
until  such  should  be  the  case,  all  the  conditions 
of  Catholic  fellowship  were  met,  and  all  the  ills 
of  ecclesiastical  politics  avoided,  by  the  union  of 
each  parish  priest  with  his  bishop.     One  chief 

^  It  should  be  recorded  in  this  connection  that  the  Rev. 
Edwin  Harwood,  with  Bishop  Howe  of  Central  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  Bishop  Bedell  of  Ohio,  are  the  sole  survivors  of  this 
once  famous  committee.  To  Dr.  Harwood  belongs  the  well- 
deserved  honor  of  having  edited  Avith  Dr.  Muhlenberg  The 
Evangelical  Catholic,  and  of  having  been  an  efficient  helper 
in  establishing  the  system  of  the  Episcopal  Congress  which 
has  proved  to  be  the  first  definite  step  towards  realiz- 
ing Muhlenberg's  aspiration  for  the  "  unsectarizing  of  the 
church." 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    135 

ground  for  liis  hope  of  a  Catholic  restoration 
lay  in  the  possibility  of  inducing  the  bishops 
to  inaugurate  a  movement  looking  toward  their 
own  emancipation  from  many  of  the  customary 
restraints  imposed  upon  their  essential  function 
by  the  unwritten  law  —  or  rather  by  the  sec- 
tarian spirit  —  of  the  church.  He  urged  the 
significance  of  the  claim,  that  the  church  had 
both  a  catholic  and  a  denominational  character, 
and  then  proceeded  to  demonstrate,  beyond  all 
reasonable  dispute,  that  the  gi-and,  catholic  aspi- 
ration had  been  wholly  lost  in  the  mere  sec- 
tarian business  of  developing,  intensifying,  ex- 
aggerating, and  stereotyping  her  denominational 
peculiarities.  Con\'incing  proof  of  this  was  to 
be  found  in  the  admitted  fact  —  in  the  case  of 
some,  the  self-complacent  boast  —  that  she  was 
the  church  of  the  rich,  the  respectable,  the  influ- 
ential, and  scarcely  at  all  of  the  poor  and  the 
uncultured.  This,  he  showed  conclusively,  was 
due  to  the  settled  system  and  policy  of  the 
church,  which  was  utterly  unadapted  to  the  task 
that  lay  before  her  in  this  land,  and  which  rig- 
idly precluded  such  adaptation.  She  virtually 
claimed  to  be  a  church  with  a  restricted  mission, 
and  was  practically  satisfied  to  remain  such. 
And  this  was  due  to  nothing  inherent  in  her 
constitution,  hxxt  to  the  unconscious  growth  of 
the  sect  spirit,  which  had  fastened  itself  upon 


136       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

her.  She  had  in  her  all  the  elements  of  catho- 
licity, and  it  was  to  her  proper  development  in 
this  direction,  as  the  norm  of  a  catholic  system, 
that  he  called  the  minds  of  her  bishops  in  the 
bugle-blast  of  the  Memorial.  It  proposed  the 
initiation  of  measures  looking  toward  a  broader 
and  more  comprehensive  field  for  the  exercise 
of  their  great  function ;  that,  as  the  missionary 
agency  of  the  church,  to  whom  the  great  com- 
mission of  the  risen  and  ascended  Lord  comes 
with  especial  emphasis,  they  should  mark  out 
for  their  action  as  bishops,  in  admitting  to  the 
sacred  ministry,  a  more  catholic  and  comprehen- 
sive ground  than  that  to  which  they  were  by 
custom  then  restricted.  For  a  catholic  church, 
including  likewise  denominational  peculiarities, 
or  distinctive  practices  in  the  minor  details  of 
worship  and  administration,  to  ordain  men  to 
the  sacred  ministry  only  on  condition  of  their 
entire  conformity  to  these  lesser  requirements, 
he  held  to  be  a  contradiction  in  terms  ;  and  he 
demonstrated,  with  irresistible  cogency  and  clear- 
ness of  reasoning,  the  untenableness  of  all  cath- 
olic pretensions  in  the  face  of  such  inconsistent 
practice.  For  himself.  Dr.  Mulilenberg  had  no 
quarrel  with  these  peculiarities.  He  held  to  the 
necessity  of  the  denomination  in  its  individual 
organization,  and  to  those  who  wished  to  give  a 
pledge  of  conformity  to  its  special  requirements 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     137 

he  would  interpose  no  barrier.  But  to  refuse 
ordination  to  the  sacred  ministry,  or  apostolic 
commission  to  preach  the  gospel  and  administer 
the  sacraments  orderly  to  those  desiring  it,  who 
could  not  pledge  conformity,  he  held  to  be  not 
catholic,  but  sectarian.  It  savored  not  of  that 
blessed  Hberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  us 
free,  but  rather  of  that  priestly  tyranny  which 
would  lord  it  over  God's  heritage. 

It  was  the  hope,  the  possibility,  and  the  prac- 
ticability of  a  changed  Episcopal  attitude  in  this 
particular,  that  enabled  him  to  see  in  the  Epis- 
copate a  practicable  basis  of  unity,  or  at  least  a 
medium  and  a  bond  of  that  catholic  fellowship 
which  must  precede,  and  would  surely  prepare 
the  way  for,  an  organic  unity  that  would  be 
truly  catholic.  This  is  the  high  argument  of  his 
exposition  of  the  Memorial,  in  supj)ort  of  the 
petition  of  the  memorialists  for  the  appointment 
of  a  permanent  Episcopal  commission  on  church 
unity.  How  skillfully  he  handled  this  line  of 
reasoning  the  following  extracts  will  barely  in- 
dicate :  — 

"  Any  movement  of  this  kind  will  be  very  apt  to 
expose  us  to  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of  other 
denominations,  perhaps  to  their  ridicule.  They  will 
see  in  it  only  a  vainglorious  attempt  of  our  bishops 
to  magnify  their  office,  if  not  an  ambitious  project  to 
extend  their  fancied  prerogative.     We  shall  have  the 


138       WlLLIAAf  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

old  stories  over  again  of  prelatical  pride  and  tyranny. 
Very  likely.  The  Memorial  has  been  sneered  at 
already  in  some  quarters.  Any  action  upon  it  may 
be  sneered  at  much  more.  The  thing  will  have  to 
pass  through  a  stage  of  misapprehension,  probably 
misrepresentation  and  contempt.  This  will  last  for  a 
while,  and  will  proceed  partly  from  those  who  really 
misconceive  it,  and  partly  from  others  who  will  not 
care  to  look  at  it  aright.  The  religious  journals, 
which  live  so  much  upon  party  and  denominational 
prejudice,  but  which  are  far  from  representing  the 
honest  Christian  sentiment  of  the  communities  to 
which  they  belong,  will  be  busy,  of  course,  in  the  line 
of  their  calling.  All  that  is  to  be  expected.  In  the 
mean  while  thoughtful  men,  sick  at  heart  with  the 
distractions  and  divisions  among  followers  of  the 
same  Lord,  will  look  at  the  matter  dispassionately. 
They  will  perceive  it  is  nothing  sectarian,  though 
emanating  from  what  they  call  a  sect.  They  will  see 
that  that  sect  stands  on  a  vantage-ground  peculiar  to 
itself ;  they  will  see  that  it  has  something  tangible 
and  positive  wherewith  to  proceed  in  measures  for  the 
peace  of  Christendom.  They  will  reflect  that  it  has 
adhered,  with  a  tenacity  beyond  all  other  sects,  to  the 
ancient  faith,  in  those  ancient  formulas  which  are 
the  only  basis  that  all  can  ever  meet  upon.  These 
two  things  they  will  be  constrained  to  admit :  — 

"1.  In  order  to  any  effective  union  and  intercom- 
munion among  the  several  Protestant  bodies,  each 
must  have  a  ministry,  the  validity  of  which  is  acknowl- 
edged by  all  the  others.     2.  That  none  but  a  minis- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     139 

try  episcopally  ordained  is  thus  acknowledged.  This 
is  a  fact  that  cannot  be  denied,  nor  by  any  possibility 
can  it  be  changed.  Episcopal  orders,  and  no  others, 
admit  everywhere  to  the  pulpits  of  the  Protestant 
faith.  This  is  inconti'overtible  and  immutable.  Hence 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  Episcopal  Church  has  an  ele- 
ment of  union  at  her  disposal,  and  which  she  is  now 
willing  to  diffuse  on  the  most  liberal  terms.  This  is 
an  idea  not  to  be  despised.  Good  and  sensible  men 
wiU  think  of  it. 

"  They  will  come  together  to  examine  it,  and  to 
deliberate  upon  it.  By  degrees  the  first  impressions 
on  the  minds  of  many  will  wear  away.^  Prejudice 
will  yield  to  candor.  Notions  and  feelings  that  were 
once  believed  to  be  sacred  jealousy  for  the  truth  will 
reveal  themselves  as  bigotry.  Impartial  judgment 
will  begin  to  have  place.^  Let  Episcopal  orders  be 
dispensed  on  the  unsectarian  conditions  here  con- 
tended for ;  let  it  be  evident  that  the  first  concern  of 
the  bishop  in  giving  them  is  for  the  propagation  of 
the  gospel,  and  his  second  for  its  propagation  accord- 
ing to  our  forms ;  let  the  successors  ^  of  the  apostles 
ordain  men  on  the  same  terms  as  the  apostles  them- 
selves ordained,  and  many  will  begin  to  reckon  the 
value  of  Episcopal  orders  who  now  have  never  given 
a  thought  to  the  subject.     Let  them  be  fairly  attain- 

^  These  words  read  like  a  prophecy,  uttered  tliirty  years 
before  their  realization  in  the  meetings  of  the  Congress  of 
Churches  held  at  Hartford  and  Cleveland. 

"^  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  p.  150. 

^  "  In  order,  if  not  in  office."  —  (W.  A.  M.) 


140       WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

able,  and  they  will  be  sought.  The  reasons  for  this 
opinion  were  expressed  as  follows  some  eighteen 
years  ago :  — 

" '  The  arguments  for  episcopacy  would  then  be  ex- 
hibited with  more  hojjes  of  convincing  its  opponents, 
for  then  the  question  would  be  put  upon  its  own 
merits.  Now  it  is  connected  with  various  other  mat- 
ters, —  the  use  of  a  certain  liturgy,  of  peciUiar  rules 
and  ceremonies,  adherence  to  a  particular  ecclesiastical 
organization,  etc.  All  these  a  man  feels  he  must  be 
ready  for  when  he  is  convinced  of  episcopacy,  if  he  is 
to  turn  his  conviction  to  any  practical  account.  Thus 
the  cause  has  not  the  benefit  of  being  tried  alone.  It 
is  considered  in  connection  with  things  that  prejudice 
the  judgment  about  it.  But  let  it  stand  out  disencum- 
bered and  on  its  own  ground,  let  it  be  possible  for  a 
man  to  be  an  Episcopalian  quoad  hoc,  and  the  contro- 
versy will  not  so  often  end,  as  it  now  does,  with  the 
confirmation  of  the  parties  in  their  respective  opinions. 
Young  men  in  the  non-Episcopalian  churches,  prepar- 
ing for  the  ministry,  would  examine  the  subject  with 
more  candor  than  can  now  be  expected  of  them. 
Now  they  look  upon  Episcopal  ordination  as  one  of 
our  peculiarities,  —  as  part  of  what  they  call  our 
sectarianism.  Place  it  within  reach  on  confessedly 
catholic  terms,  strip  it  of  all  unessential  accessories, 
and  they  will  look  upon  it  with  new  eyes,  —  they  will 
read  the  history  of  the  early  church  over  again,  and 
review  their  own  sectarian  prejudices.  Whatever 
might  be  their  views  of  the  necessity  of  Episcopal 
orders,  they  would  be  convinced  of  their  high  antiq- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     141 

uity,  and  would  desire  them,  if  only  from  considera- 
tions of  expediency,  as  the  means  of  enlarging  their 
field  of  labor.  ^ 

"  '  Having  received  the  ordination,  they  would  re- 
flect that  they  would  be  recognized  as  duly  authorized 
ministers  everywhere  in  the  Protestant  world.  Mis- 
sionaries, especially,  would  possess  an  immense  ad- 
vantage therein.  In  the  many  instances,  it  would 
open  to  them  avenues  of  usefulness,  from  which  with- 
out it  they  are  excluded.  Indeed,  the  advantages  of 
Episcopal  ordination  are  so  obvious  in  many  practical 
points  of  view,  esjiecially  in  regard  to  the  missionary 
cause,  that  it  cannot  be  doubted  the  more  liberal  and 
thoughtful  men  of  other  denominations  would  rise 
above  party  feeling,  and  recommend  their  young  men 
to  obtain  it.'  These  sanguine  hopes,  entertained  so 
long  ago,  still  seem  reasonable.^ 

"The  commission,  until  vested  with  powers  not  yet 
asked  for  it,  would  be  no  more  than  the  authorized 
organ  of  communication  with  surrounding  Christian 

^  "  If  it  be  said  that  Episcopal  orders  should  not  be  given  to 
men  who  have  so  low  an  estimate  of  their  value,  I  would  ask 
whether  there  be  not  those  among  ourselves  who  have  no 
higher.  How  many  thousand  priests  and  deacons  in  the  Eng- 
lish Church  have  been  ordained  holding  the  extremest  Low 
Church  views !  Besides,  in  the  cases  supposed,  there  would 
probably  be  an  advance  in  the  estimate  of  Episcopal  ordina- 
tion, as  men  generally  value  what  they  possess.  At  any  rate, 
a  belief  in  the  apostolicity  or  antiquity  of  Episcopacy  is  not 
an  article  of  the  faith."  —  (VV.  A.  M.) 

^  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  pp.  126-128. 


142       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

bodies  or  individuals  sound  in  the  faith.  Such  com- 
munication might  issue  in  action,  for  which,  however, 
the  commission  would  require  further  instructions 
from  the  House  of  Bishops,  or  the  whole  Conven- 
tion. 

"  Contemplating  the  result  in  the  restoration  of  the 
evangelical  commission  to  the  Episcopate  to  be  exer- 
cised in  granting  holy  orders  on  evangelical  terms,  I 
argued  for  the  commission,  as  the  necessary  prepara- 
toi'ii  measure,  by  showing  how  it  should  approve  itself 
to  both  of  the  leading  parties  in  the  church,  with  the 
understanding  that  the  commission  would  (until  fur- 
ther orders)  confine  itself  to  preliminary  or  rather 
tentative  action.  I  earnestly  hope  you  will  report  in 
its  favor.  Discussing  the  proposition  in  conversation 
with  many  of  our  clergy  and  several  of  the  bishops,  I 
have  found  none  to  object  to  it,  and  most  to  give  it 
their  cordial  assent.  Harm  it  could  do  none.  The 
good  to  which  it  might  lead  cannot  be  measured.  At 
the  least,  it  would  be  an  attempt,  an  essay  on  the 
part  of  the  only  church  which  can  make  it  with  any 
prospect  of  success,  to  gather  into  one  the  sundered 
multitude  of  believers  on  the  old  ground  of  the  one 
Lord,  the  one  faith,  the  one  baptism.  Is  not  the 
ability  of  our  church  to  put  forth  an  effort  to  that  end 
a  talent,  for  the  improvement  of  which  she  will  be 
held  responsible  ?  Shall  she  hide  it  in  a  napkin,  — 
the  napkin  of  her  niceties  and  peculiarities  ? 

"  Our  church  (as  is  shown  in  a  recent  admirable 
charge  by  one  of  your  brethren)  has  both  a  catholic 
and  denominational  character.     Which  shall  we  now 


HISTORY  OF  TEE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     143 

seek  to  develop  ?  This,  in  reference  to  all  the  wants 
of  the  memorialists,  is  the  question  before  you  in 
making  up  your  report.  If  it  be  her  denominational 
character  that  she  is  most  concerned  for,  your  report 
may  be  very  brief.  Dismiss  the  Memorial.  Take 
your  stand  on  the  prudential  maxim,  'Let  well  alone.' 
Our  well-doing  church  will  continue  to  do  well  in  her 
own  sphere  and  peculiar  mission ;  with  her  stern  in- 
tegrity, her  conservative  policy,  her  refined  taste  and 
dignified  bearing,  she  will  always  be  most  acceptable 
in  the  upper  walks  of  life,  where,  indeed,  as  well  as 
in  the  lower,  there  are  souls  to  be  gathered  into  the 
kingdom ;  while,  also,  she  will  always  have  a  goodly 
number  of  retainers  in  her  heneficiaries  among  the 
poor.  As  she  is,  she  can  thus  prosper  ;  confessedly 
the  most  respectable  denomination  in  the  land.  But 
if,  without  compromising  any  real  advantages  in  that 
character,  she  is  mainly  bent  on  developing  the  Cath- 
olic elements  in  her  constitution,  then  give  her  ample 
room  for  so  glorious  a  mission.  Bid  her  look  over 
this  vast  continent,  filling  with  people  of  all  nations, 
and  languages,  and  tongues,  and  see  the  foUy  of  hop- 
ing to  perpetuate  among  them  an  Anglican  Commun- 
ion that  will  ever  be  recognized  as  aught  more  than 
an  honorable  sect ;  bid  her  give  over  the  vain  attempt 
to  cast  all  men's  minds  into  one  mould.  Bid  her 
cherish  among  her  own  members  mutual  tolerance  of 
opinion  in  doctrine  and  taste  in  worship  ;  remember- 
ing that  uniform  sameness  in  lesser  matters  may  be 
the  ambition  of  a  society,  a  party,  a  school,  in  the 
church,  but  is  far  below  any  genuine   aspirations  of 


144      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

the  church  herself.  It  is  the  genius  of  Catholicism 
which  is  now  knocking  at  her  doors.  Let  her  refuse 
to  open.  Let  her,  if  she  will,  make  them  faster  still 
with  new  bolts  and  bars,  and  then  take  her  rest,  to 
dream  a  wilder  dream  than  any  of  the  Memorial, 
—  of  becoming  the  Catholic  Chiu-ch  of  the  United 
States."  ^ 

By  way  of  illustrating  the  actual  attitude  of 
the  church  on  this  question,  in  contrast  with 
what  he  proposed,  he  supposes  the  following  case 
of  a  non-conformist  suing  for  orders  at  the  hands 
of  a  bishop  :  — 

"  Let  us  say  he  is  a  good  man.  He  believes  himself 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  give  himself  to  further- 
ing the  salvation  of  his  fellow -men.  Besides  the 
inward  call,  he  wants  the  outward  form  of  admission 
to  the  ministry,  and  respectfully  craves  it  of  the 
bishop.  He  has  not  thought  of  becoming  just  an 
Episcopal  priest  or  deacon.  He  has  had  education 
enough  to  preach  only  to  plain  people.  Besides,  he 
wants  sometimes  to  pray  without  a  book.  He  thinks 
he  has  some  gift  in  prayer  (and  I  suppose  there  is 
such  a  thing).  He  is  ready  to  give  the  bishop  secur- 
ity for  his  adherence  to  the  faith,  the  sacraments,  and 
good  order  of  the  gospel,  but  he  has  not  mastered 
every  point  of  the  Thirty-nine  Articles,  and  fears  he 
might  be  a  little  awkward  in  regulating  himself  by 
our  rubrics  and  customs.  He  has  been  a  Methodist 
man,  and  likes  many  of  the  Methodist  ways  better 

1  Evangelical  Catholic  Pajiers,  pp.  323-325. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    145 

than  ours.  He  believes  much  good  is  done  in  the 
class  meetings,  and  would  like  to  have  them  among 
the  peojjle  wherever  he  was  stationed.  Still  he  has 
read  enough  to  be  satisfied  that  on  the  whole  the 
safest  and  surest  way  of  getting  in  the  gospel  minis- 
try is  to  be  put  there  by  a  bishop  of  the  old  line,  and 
accordingly  begs  the  favor  of  the  nearest  father  in 
God  in  his  neighborhood.  But  the  father  won't  own 
him  for  a  son  unless  he  will  give  up  all  his  '  Meth- 
odist notions,'  betake  himself  to  studying  the  Prayer 
Book,  promise  never  to  open  his  lips  in  public  wor- 
ship except  in  its  identical  words,  and  moreover  wiU 
get  a  certificate  of  character  from  twelve  Episcopa- 
lians, with  whom  the  poor  man  would  have  to  form  an 
acquaintance  for  the  first  time  ;  the  father  in  effect 
bids  him  to  be  gone  to  his  meeting,  and  there  get 
such  ordination  as  he  can  :  which  is  all  very  well, 
quite  consistent,  provided  that  the  whole  of  the  bish- 
op's concern  is  to,  take  care  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  ;  that  to  look  after  her  interests  and 
seek  her  extension  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  the 
Master's  injunction,  to  which  the  bishop  refers  for 
his  power."  ^ 

^  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  pp.  124,  125.  High  Church- 
men would  deny  that  they  anathematize  their  orthodox  non- 
episcopal  brethren,  —  that  would  be  uncharitable.  They  only 
unchurch  them.  What  is  this  unchurching  ?  What  does  it 
amount  to,  as  to  the  Christian  estimate  in  which  it  obliges  them 
to  hold  their  unchurched  brethren?  Very  little.  I  have  never 
yet  known  a  churchman,  however  extreme  in  his  views,  much 
di.stressed  at  the  death  of  pious  Presbyterian  relatives  or 
friends,  as  doubting  their  salvation  because  they  were  not  in 


146      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

Further  on,  in  continuing  the  subject  entitled, 
"  What  the  Memorialists  Want,"  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg writes  as  follows :  — 

"We  do  not  look  upon  the  orthodox  Protestants 
around  us  as  apostates  from  the  faith.  They  accept 
the  Apostles'  and  Nicene  Creeds.^  We  have  no 
Protestant  Episcopal  creed  which  we  make,  as  Rome 
does  hers,  of  equal  authority  with  those  ancient  sym- 
bols, and  which  we  call  upon  men  to  receive  in  order 
to  admission  to  our  pale.  No ;  it  is  for  canons  and 
rubrics,  for  rites  and  ceremonies,  which  the  General 
Convention  might  sweep  away  to-morrow  and  our 
integrity  as  a  church  remain,  that  we  are  willing  to 

the  church.  Not  so  the  sincere  Romanist.  One  dear  to  him, 
dying  out  of  the  church,  is  an  intense  grief,  and  he  gives  all 
he  can  afford  in  masses  for  the  restoration  of  the  unfortunate 
soul.  With  us,  all  baptized,  true  Christian  men  are  undoubt- 
edly saved.  If  consistently  with  our  dogma  we  cannot  em- 
brace them  in  the  Catholic  Church,  we  yet  have  a  place  for  them 
in  the  communion  of  saints,  so  that  practically  the  necessity  of 
union  with  an  Episcopal  ministry,  after  all,  we  make  of  no 
great  account.  It  does  not  affect  salvation.  Is  it,  then,  only 
one  of  our  tenets,  or,  in  popular  language,  one  of  our  "  de- 
nominational peculiarities  ' '  ?  and  for  no  more  than  that  do  we 
ignore  our  brethren  ?  If  we  refuse  the  hand  of  fellowship  to 
those  whom,  we  have  no  doubt  at  all,  we  shall  enjoy  to  meet 
hereafter  at  least,  shall  we  not  consent  to  a  consideration 
of  the  practicability  of  recognizing  that  brotherhood  on  earth 
which  we  shrink  from  saying  will  not  exist  in  heaven  ? 

1  But  how  do  they  accept  them  ?  you  say.  Quite  as  freely 
and  heartily  as  many  among  ourselves  whom  you  do  not 
repudiate  as  heretics,  —  with  whom  you  are  in  constant  com- 
munion. —  (W.  A.  M.) 


BISTORT  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    147 

leave  Chi'istian  neighbors  and  kinsmen  to  the  'un- 
covenanted  mercies  of  God,'  the  same  that  we  award 
to  the  virtuous  heathen. 

"  The  sum  of  the  whole  is  this  —  the  Episcopate  is 
either  a  catholic  or  a  peculiar  institution.  It  is  essen- 
tial, or  it  is  not,  to  the  being  of  the  church.  If  it  be 
the  latter,  while  we  adhere  to  it  for  all  the  good  we 
derive  from  it  ourselves,  let  us  not,  as  we  would  keep 
the  unity  of  spirit  and  bond  of  peace,  make  it  a  cause 
of  division  in  the  household  of  faith.  Away  with 
every  law  or  rule  that  magnifies  its  importance  at  so 
fearful  a  rate  !  If  it  be  the  former,  an  essential  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  then,  in  the  name  of  Him  who 
ordained  it  as  such,  and  who  prayed  that  his  fol- 
lowers might  be  one,  let  us  be  sure  that  we  dispense 
its  blessings  far  and  wide  on  the  most  liberal  terms. 
Freely  as  we  have  received,  freely  let  us  give,  else 
the  sin  will  lie  at  our  doors  of  breaking  the  unity  of 
the  Body  of  Christ. 

"  Either  party  on  the  question  of  episcopacy  among 
us  is  inconsistent  in  maintaining  the  present  state 
of  things,  —  one  in  recognizing  brethren  in  their 
neighbor  Christians,  yet  shunning  contact  with  them, 
on  no  ground  of  principle,  for  expediency's  sake,  or, 
perchance,  lest  the  respectability  of  the  church  should 
suffer ;  the  other,  in  its  zeal  for  every  iota  of  our 
Church's  prescriptions,  narrowing  her  down  to  the 
dimensions  of  a  sect.  Both  have  the  leaven,  in  dif- 
ferent forms,  of  the  old  Judaistic  spirit  wliich  troubled 
the  church  at  first.  It  has  appeared  in  every  age,  at 
once  the  life  and  the  poison  of  sect.  Alas  that  it 
should  be  rife  among  ourselves  ! 


148      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

"  The  foregoing,  I  shall  be  told,  seems  to  proceed 
on  the  assumption  that  there  are  ministers  in  the  ortho- 
dox denominations  who  are  desirous  of  obtaining  Epis- 
copal ordors  ;  that  they  are  suing  at  our  doors  for  the 
boon  which,  in  order  to  its  being  thankfully  accepted, 
we  have  only  to  grant.  By  no  means.  The  reverse 
may  be  the  fact ;  nay,  the  idea  of  their  lacking  any- 
thing in  their  ministry  which  we  could  supply  may 
only  be  treated  with  contempt  by  most  of  our  non- 
episcopal  brethren.  Be  it  so ;  it  does  not  touch  the 
point.  The  question  is,  what  should  be  our  attitude 
towards  them,  not  theirs  to  us.  At  present  it  is  one 
of  repulsion  on  both  sides.  We  prohibit  intercourse, 
and  they  consequently  eschew  it.  But  let  us  change 
our  attitude,  so  far  at  least  as  to  show  a  readiness  to 
ascertain  whether  a  better  understanding  is  not  pos- 
sible. That,  if  it  does  not  alter  our  relations,  will 
not  fail  to  improve  the  temper  of  them.  But  whether 
it  does  or  not,  we  shall  have  acquitted  ourselves,  we 
shall  have  done  our  duty.  Results  do  not  determine 
duties.  Though  it  could  be  foreseen  that  the  advance 
on  our  part  would  be  met  by  none  on  the  part  of 
others,  —  nay,  that  it  would  be  scorned,  —  it  would 
still  be  ours  to  make  the  advance.  Let  the  commis- 
sion be  appointed,  —  let  it  be  actuated  by  the  spirit  of 
gospel  peace,  —  and  then,  whatever  comes  of  it, 
though  it  seem  but  idle  and  abortive  for  the  while, 
the  church  will  have  nothing  to  regret.  It  will  be 
hers  to  say,  Liheravi  animam  niea?)i." 

This  crucial  question  of  ordination  was  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     149 

supreme  difficulty  requiring  the  most  careful  ad- 
justment in  any  proposed  scheme  of  Christian 
union,  which  his  intuitive  mind  had  seized  upon 
as  early  as  the  year  1835,  eighteen  years  before 
the  Memorial  Movement  was  inaugurated,  when 
he  published  a  little  volume  entitled  "  Hints  on 
Catholic  Union,"  and  to  which  the  slow-plodding 
masses  of  Christendom  turned  indifferent  ears. 
Another  point  in  this  book  which  displayed  that 
wonderful  insight,  amounting  at  times  to  accurate 
prevision,  which  characterized  his  mind,  was  the 
expediency  of  an  "  inter-ecclesiastical  congress  " 
as  a  means  of  arri%ang  at  a  due  understanding 
of  differences  and  practical  adjustment  of  diffi- 
culties. Concerning  this  matter  of  ordination, 
in  this  Httle  volume  he  speaks  as  follows :  — 

"  The  only  possible  way  of  removing  the  obstacle 
appears  to  be  this :  In  a  council  of  representatives 
from  the  various  churches,  assembled  to  debate  the 
matter,  let  it  be  agreed  to  adopt  that  form  of  ordi- 
nation, or  conveyance  of  the  extei'nal  commission  to 
the  ministry,  which  all  believe  to  be  sufficient,  and 
not  repugnant  to  the  word  of  God.  In,  order  to  ac- 
complish this,  the  sufficiency  and  non-contrariety  to 
the  word  of  God,  of  the  proposed  ordination,  must  be 
the  only  question  considered.  There  must  be  no  in- 
quiry which  ordination  is  the  most  apostolical,  or  which 
the  most  like  that  of  the  primitive  church,  which  the 
most   excellent ;    for   on    these   questions    every  one 


150       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

would  have  his  own  views,  and  of  coiu'se  would  con- 
tend for  them,  and  thus  there  would  be  a  repetition 
of  the  old  and  endless  controversies  with  which  the 
church  has  long  enough  been  perplexed.  The  single 
point  to  be  determined  should  be,  what  form  of  ordi- 
nation is  acknowledged  to  be  valid  by  all,  and  may  be 
received  by  all  without  any  sacrifice  of  conscience. 
If  no  such  ordination  can  be  found,  union  is  impos- 
sible. If  there  cannot  be  a  cordial  admission  of  the 
due  authority  of  one  another's  ministry  by  the  several 
churches,  it  is  evident  they  must  remain  asunder.  But 
the  requisite  ordination,  it  is  believed,  may  be  found. 
Let  Episcopalians,  Presbyterians,  and  Congregation- 
alists  meet  harmoniously  and  compare  their  views. 
Let  them  canvass  the  question  in  the  spirit  of  brotherly 
love,  and  honestly  endeavor  to  discover  some  ground 
of  peace  and  union.  Let  them  consent  to  substitute, 
in  place  of  what  they  now  prefer,  any  form  of  ordi- 
nation in  which  all  could  conscientiously  unite,  and 
they  would  not  be  long  in  coming  to  a  decision." 

In  a  note  to  this  passage  he  further  adds  :  ^  — 

"  The  question  of  the  sufficiency  of  ordination  could 
not  be  determined  by  the  plurality  of  voices  in  the 

^  "A  suggestion  in  passing,  upon  this  vexing  question,  is  here 
made,  —  namely,  -whether  the  power  and  value  of  a  genuine 
ordination  for  a  reconstructed  ministry  may  not,  after  all,  he 
found  to  inhere  in  a  syndicate,  or  ecclesiastical  commission,  in 
•which  a  clerical  member  of  each  religious  body  shall  contribute 
his  special  form  of  ordination  by  the  laying-on  of  hands."  — 
The  Vine  Out  of  Egypt,  p.  115. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     151 

council,  for  the  conscience  of  no  one  must  be  violated. 
The  majority  could  not  change  the  minority's  views  of 
truth.  The  problem  to  be  solved  is,  what  is  expedient 
in  the  exigency,  and  lawful  in  the  eyes  of  all  ?  Any 
arguments  of  divine  origin  or  superior  antiquity  would 
only  throw  the  council  into  interminable  discussion."  ^ 

Thus  far  concerning  the  emancipation  of  the 
Episcopate.  All  this,  let  us  observe,  was  regarded 
by  Dr.  Muhlenberg  as  involved  in  the  church's 
simple  fulfillment  of  her  Lord's  great  commission 
to  "preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."  All 
this  he  held  to  be  inseparably  implicated  in  her 
plain  duty  to  declare  the  manifold  wisdom  of 
God  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  —  or,  in 
modern  phrase,  "  to  reach  the  masses."  So  clearly 
do  the  simplest  duty  and  the  nearest  practical  re- 
sults involve  the  highest  aim  in  order  to  their 
fulfillment  and  realization ! 

As  to  the  grand  result,  toward  which  the 
Memorial  Movement^was  designed  to  contribute, 
Dr.  Mulilenberg's  faith  never  faltered  ;  his  zeal 
and  effort  never  flagged ;  he  believed  in  the 
Catholic  reunion  of  dismembered  Christendom. 
He  had  no  patience  with  the  complacent  cant 
which  apologizes  for  the  sins  of  division  and 
strife,  on  the  plea  that  each  denomination  is  a 
division  of  the  Lord's  army,  called  to  do  a  special 

^  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  pp.  21,  22. 


152       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

kind  of  work,  each  excelling  in  its  own  line  of 
effort,  and  best  achieving  the  proper  result  in  its 
own  way.  He  believed  the  Saviour's  promise  to 
his  disciples,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  to 
the  end  of  the  world."  He  believed  that  He  who 
gave  this  promise  is  not  the  author  of  confusion, 
but  of  peace ;  and  that  where  envy  and  strife  is, 
there  is  nought  but  confusion  and  every  evil  work ; 
and  believing  also  that  judgment  should  begin  at 
the  house  of  God,  he  strove  first  of  all  to  convince 
his  own  communion  of  her  share  of  blame  in  this 
matter,  and  to  purge  her  from  the  demon  of  sect, 
as  a  first  step  toward  the  far-off  consmnmation. 
In  the  following  passage  Dr.  Muhlenberg  has 
clearly  and  powerfully  sketched  the  evils  incident 
upon  the  present  divisions  of  Chi-istians :  — 

"  Among  the  various  sources  of  hope  for  greater 
agreement  ere  long  among  Protestant  Christians,  there 
is  one  arising  from  the  fact  of  their  common  zeal  for 
the  extension  of  the  gospel  among  the  heathen.  This 
zeal  is  very  strongly  characteristic  of  the  leading  evan- 
gelical denominations,  and  has  been,  with  increasing 
energy,  for  the  last  fifty  years.  It  is  decided  and 
persevering,  and  never  has  been  more  so  than  at  the 
present.  Never  did  men  give  more  freely  of  their 
money  to  missions ;  never  were  there  larger  numbers 
of  evangelists  in  the  foreign  field.  What  has  been 
the  result  ?  Success  enough  to  encourage  the  continu- 
ance of  effort,  but  by  no  means  adequate  to  expecta- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     153 

tion.  On  the  contrary  there  has  been  disappoint- 
ment. The  results  bear  no  satisfactory  proportion  to 
the  means  and  agencies  employed.  This  would  appear 
on  a  reference  to  the  principal  missionary  societies 
both  here  and  in  England,  but  that  is  unnecessary. 
The  failure  is  acknowledged,  —  failure  compared  with 
what  was  looked  for.  We  have  only  to  recollect  the 
confident  anticipations,  from  time  to  time,  of  the  con- 
version of  regions  all  ready  for  the  gospel,  if  only  the 
means  were  forthcoming,  if  only  Christians  would 
pray  as  they  ought.  The  means  were  not  stintedly 
given ;  the  "  monthly  concert  of  prayer "  did  not 
cease ;  but  the  hoped-for  regions  are  in  the  realms  of 
darkness  still.  While,  again,  there  are  bright  pages 
in  the  history  of  missions,  cheering  tokens  that  the 
good  Lord  does  not  disown  the  labors  of  his  servants, 
yet  on  the  whole  there  has  been  in  a  human  point  of 
view  so  much  of  discouragement  that  still  to  perse- 
vere in  the  work,  still  to  prosecute  it  with  vigor,  is  felt 
to  be  a  trial  of  their  faith,  a  test  of  their  obedience. 
As  good  Christians  they  are  willing  to  go  on  in  faith, 
they  are  content  simply  to  obey.  At  the  same  time 
they  cannot  help  inquiring  why  it  is  so.  Wherefore  is 
so  much  of  their  toil  apparently  in  vain  ?  Why  are 
their  hopes  so  long  postponed  ?  With  all  their  zeal, 
their  efforts,  their  prayers,  may  there  not  be  still  some 
fault  of  their  own  which  explains  the  disappointment, 
and  they  are  beginning  to  suspect  what  it  is  ?  Here 
and  there,  they  are  beginning  to  see  it.  It  is  becoming 
plain  to  their  eyes.  TheAj  are  not  at  jjeace  among 
themselves.     This  is  their  fault,  their  grievous  fault. 


154      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

They  are  not  at  peace  among  themselves.  While  they 
would  proclaim  the  gospel  o£  jieace  abroad,  they  are 
disputing  in  fierce  contentions  with  one  another  what 
that  gospel  is.  They  substitute  their  systems  for  the 
gospel,  and  spend  their  strength  in  propagating  their 
systems.  Zealous  only  for  the  divine  glory,  as  they 
have  fondly  believed,  they  see  they  have  been  more 
anxious  to  plant  the  flag  of  their  divisions  on  the 
pagan  soil  than  the  banner  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  The 
spirit  of  sect,  —  this  is  '  the  accursed  thing '  for  which 
discomfiture  has  awaited  the  armies  of  the  Lord. 
'  This  is  the  cause  why  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
have  not  fallen  before  the  Cross.  The  sin  is  ours. 
God  hath  called  us  to  be  workers  together  with  Him, 
to  make  known  to  man  the  privileges  and  the  glory  of 
belonging  to  his  family.  He  gave  us  his  gospel  that 
we  might  live  as  a  united  family,  serving  Him  and  one 
another,  and,  being  such  a  family,  He  bade  us  go 
forth  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,  saying 
He  would  be  with  us  to  the  end  of  the  world.  We 
have  not  chosen  to  be  such  a  family ;  we  have  not 
chosen  to  live  as  those  who  are  united  in  a  crucified 
Saviour ;  we  have  mocked  our  own  words  when  we 
would  call  upon  men  to  become  members  with  us  of 
the  one  household  of  faith ;  the  words  of  life  and 
power  from  our  lips  have  been  like  the  utterances  of 
men  in  their  dreams ;  there  has  been  a  spot  in  our 
feasts  of  charity.'  ^ 

"  Nay,  we  have  no  feasts  of  charity.     That  highest 
feast  of  charity,  the  Holy  Supper,  is  no  longer  a  feast 

1  F.  D.  Maurice. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     155 

at  which  Christians  meet  simply  as  Christians,  and  as 
fellow-disciples  of  a  common  Lord.  There  is  not  one 
table,  but  one  hundred  tables,  table  against  table  ;  the 
pai'takers  of  each  practically  saying  theirs  alone  is  the 
table  of  the  Lord.  We  are  thus  separated  from  one 
another  in  this  supreme  and  distinctive  act  of  our  re- 
ligion, the  very  sign  and  means  of  our  communion  in 
Christ.  We  partake  apart,  as  locally  we  must,  but  it 
is  more  than  difference  of  place  that  hinders  a  reali- 
zation of  the  unity  which  it  is  the  very  design  of  this 
ordinance  of  love  to  set  forth  and  confirm.  We  will 
not.  we  cannot,  go  to  one  another's  communions ;  we 
refrain  on  principle  ;  we  are  kept  back  by  our  re- 
spective systems  of  doctrine  or  practice,  which  we 
thus  virtually  exalt  to  a  higher  value  than  the  com- 
mon faith.  Here  is  a  fact  sufficient  in  itself  to  dem- 
onstrate the  hatef  ulness  of  the  sect  spirit.  AVe  eschew 
one  another's  company  at  the  table  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  that,  alas  I  for  conscience'  sake  !  As  long  as  this 
lasts,  in  vain  shall  we  hope  to  convert  the  unbelieving 
world.  What  !  try  to  persuade  men  to  come  and  be 
children  with  us  of  the  Almighty  Parent,  while  we 
are  not  in  amity  enough  ourselves  to  meet  at  the 
board  of  his  dear  and  only  Son !  Teach  them  to  say, 
'  Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven,'  while  we  will  not 
come  together  as  brethren  in  his  house  to  unite  in  the 
prayer  !  No  wonder  we  fail !  No  surprise  do  the 
angels  feel  that  they  have  so  little  cause  for  rejoicing 
at  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  sinners,  while  they 
see  so  much  of  Christians  at  variance.  In  his  mercy 
the  Lord  blesses  the  ministrations  of  his  word  and 


156       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

ordinances  among  us,  but  as  to  our  efforts  to  publish 
his  name  abroad,  which  shoukl  be  sounded  forth  with 
the  full  harmony  of  concordant  voices.  He  leaves  us  to 
the  consequences  and  punishment  of  our  divisions. 
He  is  not  with  us.  He  does  not  make  bare  his  arm, 
as  for  his  people  of  old.  Graciously  He  deigns  to 
continue  to  us  his  presence,  but  with  no  manifesta- 
tions of  its  ancient  glory  and  power.  For  the  love  He 
beareth  us,  with  all  our  undeservings,  He  gives  us 
pastors  and  teachers  ;  He  suffers  not  a  famine  of  the 
Word  ;  but  He  raises  up  no  prophets,  '  mighty  in  word 
and  deed  before  the  people.'  Trumpets  in  his  name 
have  been  blown  long  and  loud ;  priests  have  made 
their  processions  seven  times,  and  seven  times  again  : 
but  the  walls  of  Jericho  have  not  fallen  down.  So  it 
will  continue,  to  our  confusion,  more  or  less,  until  the 
hosts  of  the  Lord,  merging  their  feuds  in  the  one 
grand  strife  for  the  honor  of  his  name,  shall  go  forth 
as  one  man  '  to  the  help  of  the  Lord,  to  the  help  of 
the  Lord  against  the  mighty.'  Peace  there  must  be 
in  the  Lord's  house,  ere  it  be  '  established  on  the  top 
of  the  mountains  and  the  nations  flow  unto  it.'  The 
dews  of  divine  charity  must  descend  for  the  refreshing 
and  renewing  of  Zion,  drawn  down  by  the  '  one  heart 
and  the  one  mind  '  of  those  who  long  for  her  prosper- 
ity, ere  the  '  wilderness  and  the  solitary  places  '  be- 
yond her  '  will  be  made  glad,  or  the  deserts  rejoice 
and  blossom  as  the  rose.'  It  was  when  men  said  of 
Christians,  '  Behold  how  they  love  one  another,'  that 
the  church  was  mighty  to  the  pulling  down  of  the 
strongholds  of  Satan ;  and  again  must  Christians  be 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     157 

bound  together  in  active  fellowship,  ere  they  avail, 
with  aught  of  pristine  strength,  against  his  dominions 
in  heathendom  now. 

"  And  if  Protestant  Christianity,  from  the  want  of 
combined  forces,  thus  fails  .of  conquest  abroad,  how 
largely  also  from  the  same  cause  does  it  fall  short  of 
its  true  power  in  its  mission  of  beneficence  at  home, 
and  in  gi-appling  with  its  foes  of  infidelity,  superstition, 
and  worldliness  all  about  it,  and  on  the  ground  which 
it  claims  as  its  own  !  See  the  great  and  good  works 
which  it  has  to  leave  undone  ;  see  the  glorious  enter- 
prises of  charity  and  benevolence  which,  from  want  of 
unanimity  among  its  disciples,  it  has  not  the  strength 
to  undertake  ;  see  the  universities,  the  colleges,  the 
hospitals,  the  manifold  institutions  of  mercy  for  every 
form  of  human  want  and  woe,  which,  if  it  could  act 
with  a  common  will,  it  would  rear  to  the  glory  of  its 
Lord,  but  which  are  now  reared  only  on  condition 
that  they  shall  recognize  no  form  of  religion,  which 
is  tantamount  to  their  recognizing  no  religion  at  all ! 
See  how  it  has  to  abandon  the  rising  generation  of 
the  masses,  handing  over  their  education  to  the  state, 
that  knows  not  Christ ;  see  how  impotent  it  is  in 
controlling  public  opinion ;  how  it  fails  to  infuse  a 
Christian  spirit  into  literature  and  art ;  see  what  an 
unequal  match  it  is,  with  its  militia  regiments,  against 
the  disciplined  hosts  of  a  pseudo-Christianity  ;  see  the 
advantage  it  yields  the  infidel  to  make  capital  out  of 
its  jealousies,  contentions,  and  mutual  recriminations, 
and  tauntingly  to  ask,  if  he  were  minded  to  be  a 
Christian,    which    of   its   hundred    confiicting   forms 


158      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

should  he  accept ;  and  all  because  the  arch-enemy  has 
been  allowed  to  act  on  the  successful  stratagem,  in 
every  kind  of  warfare,  divide  and  conquer  !  Things 
will  prove  no  better  ;  Protestant  Christianity  will  be- 
come no  more  effective  iu  its  foreign  or  domestic  op- 
erations until  its  various  bodies,  in  their  sound  ele- 
ments, combine  in  tangible  and  practical  union,  not 
in  identity  of  form  or  of  discipline,  or  modes  of  wor- 
ship or  sentiment,  in  which  Chi'istians  will  differ  as 
long  as  all  minds  are  not  cast  in  one  mould  and  not 
exposed  to  the  same  influence  and  circumstances,  but 
in  an  embodiment  of  those  great  evangelic  and  catho- 
lic principles  of  which  it  is  the  characteristic  that 
they  constitute  unity  in  the  midst  of  variety.  The 
church,  the  congregation  of  baptized  believers,  to  be 
found  among  all  communions  that  hold  fellowship  in 
the  Divine  Head,  must  be  manifested  as  such.  It 
must  be  seen  in  its  normal  state,  as  the  Brotherhood  in 
Christ,  —  the  one  Divine  Fi'aternity  on  earth,  —  the 
society  of  all  who  are  sealed  with  the  sacrament  of 
adoption,  and  who  own  themselves,  as  thereby  de- 
clared, brethren,  because  God  is  their  Father,  through 
the  eternal  Son,  made  their  brother  in  the  flesh,  and 
ever  dwelling  in  their  midst  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  This  is  the  Catholic  Church.  Let  this  Cath- 
olicity be  owned  and  have  sway  ;  let  there  be  Cath- 
olic hearts,  and  souls,  and  minds,  to  give  life  and 
energy  to  the  profession  of  the  Catholic  Creed  ;  let 
theological  dogmata,  schools,  and  platforms  be  put 
back  to  their  legitimate  place,  to  make  room  for  a 
restoration  of  the  '  Catholic  Consent,'  in  the  substance 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     159 

of  the  faith ;  let  all  but  confess  to  that ;  let  all  but 
agree  in  the  person  and  offices  of  our  Blessed  Lord, 
as  the  God-man,  the  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King,  the 
one  Meditator  between  God  and  man,  the  final  Judge 
of  the  quick  and  dead,  who  will  render  to  every  man 
according  to  his  works ;  let  the  right  hand  of  fellow- 
ship be  withheld  from  none  to  whom  He  is  thus  '  All 
and  in  All ;  '  and  (returning  to  our  subject),  let  those 
who,  in  virtue  of  their  ancient  office,  may  be  foremost 
in  promoting  so  blessed  a  consummation,  seriously  lay 
it  to  heart,  and  inquire  what  action  may  be  taken 
thereto  ;  let  all  others  view  the  effort  Chrlstianly, 
judge  it  impartially,  construe  it  charitably,  and  a 
work  will  have  been  begun  deserving  the  benediction 
of  all  good  men,  and,  with  their  benediction,  will  not 
end  until  the  church,  spoiled  by  the  demon  of  sect  no 
more,  shall  be  hailed  as  the  city  of  God,  the  joy  of 
the  whole  earth.     Amen." 

The  memorialists  also  craved  some  modifica- 
tions in  the  method  of  worship  prescribed  by  the 
church,  in  order  to  its  better  adaptation  to  the 
character  of  the  people  and  the  wants  of  the 
time.  They  held  that  changes  in  this  direction 
were  imperative,  —  if  the  church  was  to  gain 
any  permanent  and  general  hold  on  the  masses 
of  the  people.  Their  complaint  was,  not  that 
the  liturgy  was  made  three  hundred  years  ago 
for  the  English  people,  among  whom  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  masses,  their  wants  and  social  con- 


160       WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

dition,  were  vastly  different  from  those  encoun- 
tered in  this  new  America,  but  that  its  offices 
had  been  cramped  and  crystallized  into  an  un- 
meaning routine  ;  and  that  it  was  no  longer  rec- 
ognized as  a  living  system  capable  of  growth 
and  adaptation  to  the  people.  In  the  words  of 
one  of  these  writers :  — 

"  We  were  the  colonial  daughter  of  England  when  as 
yet  no  American  nation  was  born,  and  that  original 
tyjDe  has  never  changed  ;  but  while  Presbyterian  and 
Puritan  have  adapted  themselves  to  tbe  nation,  we 
have  been  and  are  a  stereotype  copy  of  England  still. 
The  changes  of  the  church  should  be  like  those  of 
nature,  which  does  not  lop  off  a  branch,  but  puts  forth 
an  inward  power  replacing  the  withered  with  the 
new ;  and  the  same  oneness  will  no  more  produce  the 
same  worship  for  every  land  and  age  than  the  same 
tree  will  have  entire  uniformity  in  every  climate  and 
soil.^ 

"  The  difficulty  lies  not  so  much  in  the  liturgy  itself 
as  in  our  too  rigid  use  of  it ;  it  is  absolutely  impera- 
tive in  every  detail  amidst  all  the  changing  circum- 
stances of  ministerial  work.  We  are  so  far  from 
conservative  in  this  that  we  have  lost  its  original 
method  ;  we  have  not  at  all  the  varied  hours  and 
varied  offices  of  those  who  framed  the  liturgy.  It 
was  never  meant  to  be  the  same  routine  for  all  oc- 
casions ;  we  have  made  it  such,  and  deadened  it  by 
our  own  stiffness.     Devotion  wearies  with  the  repe- 

^  Quoted  in  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  pp.  277,  278. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    161 

tition  morning  and  evening,  not  only  the  Lord's  day 
but  on  every  day,  of  the  same  form  of  '  linked  sweet- 
ness long  di'awn  out.'  But  the  defect  is  felt  far  more 
with  the  missionary,  among  those  who  have  not  the 
trained  habit  of  worship.  Imagine  St.  Paul  harangu- 
ing the  crowd  of  Athens  or  Lystra,  in  every  discourse 
at  every  fresh  station  beginning  with  his  '  Dearly  be- 
loved brethi-en  ' ;  reading  Venite  and  Te  Deum  when 
he  found  no  music ;  making  his  own  responses  ;  and  so 
through  Litany  and  Ante-Communion,  service  on  ser- 
vice, Ossa  on  Pelion,  before  he  could  speak  one  hearty 
word  of  the  kingdom  of  God !  It  is  no  caricature. 
Not  a  missionary  meeting  in  Western  wilds,  not  a 
handful  of  countrymen  untrained  in  liturgies,  but 
hungering  after  truth,  can  listen  without  these  pre- 
liminaries." ^ 

On  this  head  Dr.  Muhlenberg  himseK  has  the 
following  j)regnant  paragraph :  — 

"  The  object  of  this  section  is  simply  to  impose  the 
liturgy  only  where  it  can  be  employed  as  a  real  ser- 
vice, which  can  be  nowhere  but  in  assemblies  of  peo- 
ple professedly  Christian,  and  who  know  how  to  use 
it.  I  need  not  say  that  it  is  designed  for  no  others. 
A  prayer-book  is  made  for  people  who  pray  ;  ours  is 
made  for  those  who  are  jirepared  to  pray  according 
to  its  goodly  order.  But  how  often,  in  a  country  like 
this,  must  the  preacher  present  himself  before  those 
who  are  unprepared  to  pray  after  any  fashion,  and 
who  need  to  be  taught  the  lirst  principles  of  prayer ! 

^  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  p.  279. 


162      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

And  yet,  whatever  be  the  character  of  the  hearers,  he 
must  begin  with  the  book,  and  proceed  as  it  directs, 
for  the  canon  makes  no  exception  in  his  favor,  — 
*  Every  minister,'  etc.*  Of  course  common  sense  in- 
tervenes. He  does  the  best  under  the  circumstances. 
He  remembers  that  necessity  has  no  law,  and  yet  he 
feels  that  he  is  under  law.  He  has  a  sense  of 
obligation  to  canonical  and  rubrical  requirements. 
He  has  promised  obedience  to  them  ;  hence  he  feels  it 
his  duty  at  once  to  introduce  the  prayer-book,  and  use 
it  as  far  as  he  possibly  can.  He  instructs  the  people 
in  its  order  of  worship.  To  this  he  gives  himself  as 
a  necessary  and  preliminary  work.  Thus  it  happens 
that  our  missionaries  (I  speak  of  those  in  our  own 
country)  so  seldom  appear  simply  as  evangelists. 
They  may  feel  that  they  are  such,  and  sincerely  de- 
sire to  be  recognized  in  that  character ;  but  they  are 
not  thus  recognized.  From  the  mode  of  action  to 
which  they  are  constrained  by  what  is  expected  of 
them,  and  by  what  they  consider  obedience  to  the 
church,  the  people  look  upon  them  not  so  much  as 
preachers  of  Christ's  Gospel  as  ministers  of  a  par- 
ticular denomination  sent  out  to  make  converts  to 

1  "  To  be  consistent,  Episcopalians  ought,  of  all  Christians,  to 
have  the  most  faith  in  sudden  conversions.  Let  the  gathering 
at  wliich  one  of  our  clergy  officiates  he  what  it  may,  of  the 
ignorant  and  unbaptized,  of  infidels  or  scoffers,  he  must  needs 
fancy  that  all  at  once  they  have  become  the  dearly  beloved  in 
Christ,  penitent  believers,  ready  to  fall  on  their  knees  in  con- 
fession, to  receive  absolution,  and  lift  up  their  hearts  and 
voices  in  the  adoration  of  saints !  Is  such  an  opus  operatum 
the  doctrine  of  any  school  among  us  ?  "  —  (W.  A.  M.) 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    163 

it.  Their  object,  whatever  it  really  is,  appears  to  be 
to  Episcopalianize  rather  than  evangelize  their  hear- 
ers. How  can  it  be  otherwise  ?  For  what  is  the 
frequent  course  of  the  missionary,  accustomed,  all  his 
previous  life  to  the  order  of  the  church,  and  with  the 
vows  of  his  ordination  fresh  upon  him  to  obey  the 
statute  for  that  order?  He  goes  to  a  neighborhood 
to  which  he  is  attracted  by  hearing  of  Episcopalians 
there.  He  hunts  them  up.  He  appoints  a  service, 
inviting  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  generally  to 
attend.  Perchance  he  has  come  across  some  staunch 
old  churchman  who  boasts  that,  in  all  his  exile  from 
Zion,  he  has  never  once  seen  the  inside  of  a  'meeting- 
house,' and  who  is  now  only  too  glad  to  act  the  clerk. 
With  a  respondent  on  hand,  what  hinders  their  having 
the  whole  service  ?  And  so  they  have  it ;  the  good 
folk  who  have  come  to  hear  '  a  preaching '  staring  at 
the  two  performers  ever  and  anon  going  through  a 
dialogue.  Now,  without  inquiring  how  much  of  the 
'beauty  of  holiness  '  they  are  likely  to  discern  in  such 
an  exhibition,  I  would  ask  whether  any  distinct  idea 
is  likely  to  be  conveyed  to  them  of  the  missionary  as 
the  herald  of  salvation  ?  Do  they  not  shrewdly  guess 
among  themselves  that  he  has  come  to  try  and  make 
'  Ej)iscopals  '  of  them  ?  ^     God  speed  every  effort  to 

^  ' '  The  above  is  no  fancy  sketch.  When  a  lay  reader,  in  my 
youth,  I  have  acted  in  such  a  perfoi-mance.  One  of  our  clergy, 
who  spent  a  part  of  his  life,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  his  for- 
tune, in  plantinfj  the  church  in  the  West,  has  told  me  how  the 
miasionary  hishop  and  he  would  go  to  places  and  advertise 
public  worship  in  a  court-house  or  school-room,  where  the 
bishop  and  he  would  conduct  the  service  according  to  canon 


164      WILL  JAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

extend  our  apostolic  church,  with  her  comely  order, 
with  her  ritual  rich  in  evangelic  truth,  her  inheritance 
from  the  saints  of  better  days  !  God  rear  everywhere 
her  altars,  centres  of  her  saving  light,  tlu'oughout  the 
land !  God  prosper  her,  lengthening  her  cords,  and 
strengthening  her  stakes,  the  best  hope  of  the  world  ! 
But  has  she  no  confidence  in  herself  ?  No  confidence 
in  herself  as  a  church  of  Christ  ?  With  all  her  pro- 
fessions has  she  still  misgivings  whether  she  be  a 
church  of  Christ,  doubting  his  care  of  her,  unless,  by 
her  looking  well  to  all  and  the  least  of  her  works 
and  defenses,  she  first  takes  care  of  herself  ?  Is  she 
afraid  to  go  alone  in  the  power  of  God  ?  Dare  she 
never  elevate  the  cross  save  amid  the  walls  and  battle- 
ments of  her  own  erection  ?  Must  she  always  seem 
to  make  things  divine  and  human  in  her  constitution, 
things  great  and  small,  of  equal  moment  ?  Must  she 
be  strenuous  for  the  mint,  anise,  and  cumin  the 
moment  she  opens  her  mouth  on  the  weightier  mat- 
ters of  law  ?  Granting  all  that  is  said  of  her  glorious 
adornments,  daughter  of  Israel  is  she,  and  must  she 
believe  that  the  King  can  have  no  pleasure  in  her 
beauty  unless  arrayed  in  her  full  dress,  — '  in  her 

and  rubric,  with  not  a  voice  in  the  congregation  but  their  own  ; 
while,  perhaps,  in  the  same  places,  the  Roman  bishop  would 
come  along,  call  the  people  together,  begin  at  once  Avith  a 
familiar  address,  and  end  with  a  short  prayer.  Which  left  the 
most  favorable  impression  on  the  people's  minds  ?  AVhieh 
pursued  the  better  policy  for  his  own  church  ?  The  Jesuit, 
knowing  ars  est  celare  artem,  or  our  honest  bishop  and  chaplain 
putting  on  an  appearance  of  sectarianism  which  they  did  not 
feel  ?  "  —  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     165 

clothing  (so  be  it)  of  wrought  gold  '  ?  Such  has  been 
too  much  her  mistaken  policy.  The  constraints  of 
the  canon,  as  it  stands,  are  part  of  the  policy.  We 
ask  that  they  be  put  out  of  the  way.  We  ask 
that  her  evangelists  may  be  suffered  to  be  evangel- 
ists in  the  simple  work  of  their  office.  We  ask  that 
ministers  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  when 
going  forth  as  missionaries,  may  go  forth  as  ministers 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  —  as  preachers  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Let  it  be  seen  —  let  it  be  patent  to  all 
men  —  that  they  are  the  heralds  of  the  gosjiel  to  sin- 
ners, whose  acceptance  of  it  is  the  one  burden  of 
their  souls,  the  one  prayer  and  desire  of  their  hearts. 
Let  not  that  be  obscured  by  their  having  to  put  for- 
ward any  other  interest  which  they  may  thus  seem  to 
have  equally  at  heart.  In  all  their  ways  and  modes 
of  operations  let  that  which  really  is  be  also  seen  to 
be  their  high  aim.  Let  them  go  forth  in  the  living 
power  of  the  truth,  assured  that  the  love  of  the  truth, 
wherever  it  is  received,  will  accept  of  all  things  need- 
ful for  its  conservation,  its  appliance,  and  exten- 
sion.^ 

"  That  will  be  to  begin  at  the  beginning.  We 
must  first  give  glory  to  God  ere  He  will  glorify  us, 
even  in  the  building  of  his  Church.     We  must  glorify 

^  "Tlie  present  metliod  of  procedure,  by  which  the  Episco- 
palianism  of  our  missionaries  is  put  foremost  and  made  so 
prominent,  excites  opposition,  which  of  course  adds  to  their 
obstructions.  Often  controvereial  tracts  are  distributed,  wliich 
only  serve  to  inform  those  otherwise  ignorant,  how  much  can 
be  said  against  the  church."  —  (W.  A-  M.) 


166       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

his  Son  Jesus.  We  must  set  Him  forth  in  the  sim- 
ple grandeur  and  all-sufficiency  of  his  offices,  ere  we 
can  hope  He  will  own  our  work,  or  bless  it  as  done  in 
his  name.  It  is  upon  this,  first  and  foremost,  our 
hearts,  our  minds,  and  souls  must  be  intent,  losing 
sight  for  the  wliile  of  other  things,  though  we  believe 
them  subservient  to  this.  Let  these  latter  come  in 
due  time,  in  their  proper  order,  and  He  whom  we 
glorify  wiU  make  room  for  them  so  as  we  have  first 
acquitted  ourselves  to  Him.  We  may  preach  the 
church  full  zealously,  work  for  it,  and  think  we  have 
established  it,  and  still  have  to  look  in  vain  for  the 
shekinah  on  the  altar." 

These  animated  expressions  of  personal  con- 
viction were  conveyed  to  the  public  in  a  suc- 
cession of  powerful  pamphlets,  which  attracted 
wide  attention  and  elicited  vehement  discussion. 
The  first  was  entitled  an  "  Exposition  of  the 
Memorial,"  and  was  distinguished  for  clearness 
of  language,  vigorous  argiunent,  and  copious 
illustration.  For  greater  definiteness  of  state- 
ment, and  the  clearing  away  of  misapprehen- 
sions and  misconstructions,  this  was  followed  by 
two  others,  under  the  respective  titles  of  "  What 
the  Memorialists  Want,"  and  "What  the  Me- 
morialists do  not  Want."  These  all  appear  in 
Dr.  Mulilenberg's  collected  works,  under  the 
title  of  "  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers." 

How  great  the  need  was,  in  the  Protestant 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    167 

Episcopal  Cliurcli  of  that  day,  of  such  an  awak- 
ening as  that  of  the  Memorial  Movement,  may- 
be judged  by  the  following  extract  from  a  final 
communication  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg  on  the  Me- 
morial :  — 

FURTHER    COMMUNICATION    ON    THE    MEMORIAL. 

To  the  St.  Rev.  Bishop)  Otey,  Chairman  of  the 
Commission  of  Bishojis. 

"Right  Reverend  and  dear  Sir,  —  Allow  me 
to  say  a  few  words  in  regard  to  my  recent  letter  which 
I  ventured  publicly  to  address  to  yourself.  Great 
has  been  my  surprise  at  the  comments  which  it  has 
called  forth  in  various  and  opposite  quarters.  I 
fondly  hoped  that  the  dread  which  was  expressed  of 
mischief  to  the  church,  lurking  in  the  vague  terras 
of  the  Memorial,  would  be  quite  allayed  when  dis- 
tinct statements  were  put  forth  of  'What  the  Memo- 
rialists Want,' —  so  reasonable  and  moderate  did  I 
deem  them,  and  such  I  am  persuaded  they  would 
be  generally  deemed  were  they  calmly  and  candidly 
considered.  Instead  of  that,  or  of  any  temperate 
discussion  of  the  several  points  at  issue,  there  has 
been  a  rejection  of  the  whole,  and  in  language  so 
denunciatory  that  I  can  account  for  it  only  by  sup- 
posing that  its  authors,  having  made  up  their  minds 
beforehand,  did  not  care  to  construe  fairly,  much  less 
charitably,  what  they  felt  bound  to  condemn.  Such 
is  not  the  way  to  treat  views  and  sentiments  bearing 
on  the   interests   of    the   church,  entertained  by   her 


168       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

acknowledged  well-wishers,  and  honestly  exhibited 
for  her  good.  To  brand  them  as  '  mischievous,' 
'revolutionary,'  'heretical,'  etc.,  is  scarcely  enough. 
Something  like  proof  should  be  attempted." 

More  might  be  quoted  from  this  second  com- 
munication of  Dr.  Mulilenberg's,  were  it  neces- 
sary, but  the  above  is  sufficient  to  show  the 
inflamed  and  acrimonious  spirit  in  which  the 
Memorial  was  received  by  those  to  whom  it  was 
with  so  much  loyal  confidence  addressed.  If 
the  immediate  results  of  the  Movement  were 
somewhat  disappointing  to  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  yet, 
in  the  light  of  subsequent  history,  he  builded 
even  better  than  he  knew.  But  the  immediate 
fruits  of  the  venture  were  more  than  could  have 
been  reasonably  hoped  for,  in  the  existing  state 
of  feeling  and  thought  in  the  church :  the  whole 
body  was  aroused  to  a  wholesome  review  of  the 
stereotyped  formalism  and  inflexible  conserv- 
atism into  which,  from  long  isolation,  it  had 
fallen.  It  was  led  to  see  that  apostolic  claims 
alone  were  futile  in  the  absence  of  the  catholic 
spirit  and  missionary  fervor,  with  suitable  flex- 
ibility and  adaptiveness  of  method.  Dr.  Muh- 
lenberg was  the  unquestioned  reviver  of  the  gen- 
uine catholic  temper  in  the  American  Church; 
and  whatever  advances  we  have  seen  in  the 
direction  of  catholic  freedom,  tolerance,  and 
charity,  in  the  last  fifty  years,  have  been  due  to 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.     169 

him  more  than  to  any  other  person  or  influence. 
There  were  also  more  tangible  results  at  the 
time.  In  the  General  Convention  of  1856,  the 
bishops  passed  their  famous  declaration  to  the 
effect  that  the  order  of  Morning-  Prayer,  the 
Litany,  and  the  Communion  Service,  being  three 
separate  offices,  may,  as  in  former  times,  be  used 
separately.  The  declaration  proceeded  to  give 
authority  to  the  bishops  to  prepare  services 
suitable  for  congregations  not  acquainted  M^ith 
nor  accustomed  to  the  use  of  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer,  and  a  commission  on  church  unity 
was  appointed  "  as  an  oi'gan  of  communication 
or  conference  with  such  Christian  bodies  or 
individuals  as  may  desire  it."  This  commission 
accomplished  nothing  worthy  of  mention,  and 
was  soon  discharged. 

It  is  strange  to  realize  that  this  commission 
could  find  nothing  practical  to  do  upon  such  a 
subject.  But  we  must  remember  that  Dr.  Muh- 
lenberg was  fully  thirty  years  before  his  time, 
and,  being  so,  he  sowed  the  potent  seed  which  is 
yielding  its  rich  fruitage  to-day.  "  Every  man 
in  his  own  order."  All  the  liturgical  freedom 
asked  for  in  the  Memorial  is  now  virtually 
gained ;  and  what  advances  of  Christian  senti- 
ment are  being  made  toward  organic  catholic 
unity  we  know.  But  all  are  not  aware  how  far 
and  how  directly  this  very  progress  is  due  to 


170       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  and  the  Memorial  Movement. 
Yet  the  whole  chain  of  historic  sequences  is 
traceable  directly  to  his  influence.  Let  the  fol- 
lowing serve  as  an  illustration. 

The  Congress  of  Churches,  and  the  subsequent 
declaration  of  the  House  of  Bishops  at  Chicago 
in  1886,  are  matters  of  present-day  history,  and 
constitute  the  only  tangible  and  historic  achieve- 
ments in  the  direction  of  church  unity,  since  the 
Memorial  Movement,  registering  a  very  decided 
advance  in  Christian  sentiment  upon  the  sub- 
ject.^ Such  a  declaration  as  that  of  the  bishops, 
in  1886,  would  have  abundantly  satisfied  Dr. 
Muhlenberg,  and  embodies  substantially  all  that 
he  contended  for  in  the  Memorial,  yet  it  was  im- 
possible of  attainment  in  his  day.  Like  Abra- 
ham of  old,  he  longed  to  see  such  a  day  of  the 
Lord,  and  with  true  prophetic  \'ision  he  saw  it 
and  was  glad.  How  the  realization  of  that  far- 
off  dream  was  brought  about  as  a  result  of  his 
own  labors,  the  following,  from  the  opening  ad- 
dress by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Anderson,  D.  D.,  in 
the  American  Congress  of  Churches  at  Hartford, 
1885,  wiU  show :  — 

"  In  the  course  of  his  reading,  an  Episcopal 
rector  came  in  contact  with  the  project  of  Dr. 

^  Much  has  been  written  upon  the  subject  of  unity,  but 
these  two  facts  are  the  only  historic  events  which  record  defi- 
nite action  upou  this  subject. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    171 

Muhlenberg  [to  establish  a  council  or  congress 
of  churches,  with  a  view  to  healing  the  divisions 
of  Christendom],  to  which  reference  has  been 
made ;  and  the  question  arose  in  his  mind,  '  Is 
it  not  possible  that  the  grand  dream  of  this  man 
may  yet  be  realized  ? '  Without  long  delay,  he 
gave  this  thought  to  the  world  through  the  press. 
He  published  an  article  in  the  '  Christian  Union ' 
on  measures  for  the  promotion  of  unity,  in  which 
he  said,  '  Let  steps  be  taken  toward  an  inter- 
ecclesiastical  congress  on  the  same  plan  as  the 
English  or  American  Congress  of  the  Episcopal 
Church.  Let  it  be  held  in  the  spring  of  the 
year,  and  let  it  take  the  place  of  the  May  anni- 
versaries, which  were  once  a  power,  but  are  now 
only  a  memory.  Let  representatives,  lay  and 
clerical,  come  to  a  central  meeting  place,  not  to 
vote,  nor  to  preach,  nor  to  exercise  ecclesiastical 
function,  but  to  tell  of  what  they  have,  and  what 
they  lack.' 

"  But  the  Christian  ministers  of  that  neigh- 
borhood were  already  an  inter-ecclesiastical  con- 
gress on  a  small  scale.  They  were  noted  in  all 
the  region  for  their  hearty  coojieration  in  every 
good  work.  These  men  were  easily  brought  to- 
gether, and  this  project  was  laid  before  them. 
This  was  on  the  10th  of  November,  1883,  the  four 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Luther. 
The  result  of  this  interview  was  a  circular,  brief 


172      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

and  unpretentious,  entitled  '  A  Call  for  an  Inter- 
Ecclesiastical  Cliurcli  Congress.'  It  spoke  of 
the  possibility  of  organizing  a  movement  which 
should  be,  to  the  different  religious  bodies  of 
Protestant  Christendom,  very  much  what  the 
Episcopal  Church  Congress  had  been  to  the 
Episcopal  Church  in  uniting  the  different  schools 
of  thought  contained  in  it.  '  AU  attempts  in 
the  past,'  it  said,  '  such  as  that  represented  by 
the  Evangelical  Alliance,  have  failed,  because 
they  have  endeavored  to  ignore  differences  in- 
stead of  affirming  positive  convictions.'  It  was 
something  vei-y  different  that  was  now  proposed, 
and  it  seemed  good  to  these  brethren  to  take 
this  initiatory  step  in  the  matter  of  '  sounding 
the  churches.' 

"This  circular,  which  had  seven  names  ap- 
pended to  it,  representing  the  four  Protestant 
denominations  of  the  place,  was  sent  forth  into 
all  parts  of  the  land,  and  called  out  a  prompt 
and  warm  response.  The  heartiest  approval  of 
the  project  came  from  the  Episcopal  Church ; 
but  all  the  churches  were  heard  from,  and  every- 
body seemed  to  feel  that  the  time  had  come  for 
this  new  step  forward  in  the  religious  life  of 
America.  On  New  Year's  Day,  1884,  these 
ministers  came  together  again  to  read  the  re- 
plies they  had  received,  which  numbered  nearly 
two  hundred.     They  were  from  eminent  divines, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    173 

college  presidents,  and  laymen  prominent  in 
Christian  work.  And,  while  difficulties  were 
hot  overlooked  by  these  thinkers,  they  all  ex- 
pressed their  interest  in  the  project,  and  most 
of  them  bade  it  Godspeed. 

"In  view  of  tliis  cordial  response,  measures 
were  taken  for  a  conference  of  persons  specially 
interested  in  the  movement.  The  conference 
was  held  on  the  18th  of  June,  1884.  The  at- 
tendance was  not  large,  but  it  was  fairly  repre- 
sentative. After  a  full  discussion  of  the  whole 
subject,  it  was  unanimously  decided  that  it  was 
expedient  to  carry  forward  the  proposed  move- 
ment in  the  direction  indicated  by  the  circulars 
which  had  been  published.  It  was  agreed  that 
the  new  organization  should  be  named  '  The 
American  Congress  of  Churches,'  and  the  pur- 
pose of  the  movement  was  formulated  in  the 
words  which  have  now  become  so  familiar  to  us, 
'to  promote  Christian  union,  and  to  advance 
the  kingdom  of  God,  by  a  free  discussion  of 
the  great  religious,  moral,  and  social  questions  of 
the  time.'  To  the  question,  how  the  Congress 
should  be  governed,  a  wise  and  simple  answer 
was  returned.  It  was  voted  that  the  general 
management  of  the  organization  should  be  in- 
trusted to  a  committee  or  '  council,'  numbering 
twenty-five  persons,  in  which  both  clergymen 
and  laymen  should  be  represented  ;  and  it  was 


174      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

agreed  that  the  signers  of  the  circular,  in  re- 
sponse to  which  the  conference  had  come  to- 
gether, should  have  a  place  in  the  covmcil.  Two 
other  gentlemen  who  were  present  were  added 
to  the  list,  and  this  committee  of  eight  was  in- 
structed to  proceed  to  the  appointment  of  the 
additional  members,  with  the  understanding  that, 
as  soon  as  fifteen  members  were  secured,  the 
council  should  be  convened  for  the  consideration 
of  the  work  committed  to  it. 

"  The  first  meeting  of  the  council  was  held  in 
New  Haven,  on  the  20th  of  November,  last  year. 
A  permanent  organization  was  then  effected,  and 
an  executive  committee  of  seven  was  appointed, 
to  which  was  intrusted  the  task  of  preparing  for 
the  first  meeting  of  the  congress,  and  of  decid- 
ing when  and  where  it  should  be  held,  and  what 
topics  should  be  discussed.  The  work  done 
since  then  has  been  done  by  this  executive  com- 
mittee, and  for  the  most  part  by  the  chairman 
and  the  secretary. 

"If  time  permitted,  an  account  might  prop- 
erly be  given  of  an  auxiliary  movement  which 
has  been  going  on  in  the  West,  in  the  city  of 
St.  Louis,  in  which  two  members  of  the  execu- 
tive conunittee  have  taken  some  part.  But  we 
can  only  refer  in  the  briefest  way  to  the  vote  in 
approval  of  the  American  Congress  of  Churches 
passed  at  a  meeting  of  the  St.  Louis  ministers. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  MOVEMENT.    175 

—  more  tliau  thirty  being  present,  —  and  to  the 
invitation  extended  by  them  to  the  congress  to 
hold  its  second  meeting  in  that  city. 

"  It  is  a  fact  in  which  we  may  well  find  sat- 
isfaction —  a  fact  without  parallel  hitherto  — 
that  our  congress  had  the  offer  of  a  second  place 
of  meeting,  before  the  first  meeting  had  assem- 
bled." 1 

Thus  has  this  far-off  dream  of  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg become  a  living  fact,  so  strangely  does  his- 
tory verify  the  wisdom  of  God's  proj)liets  in  all 
ages.  And  in  this  way  it  has  come  to  pass  that, 
an  entire  generation  after  the  heroic  labors  of 
Dr.  Muhlenberg,  the  potent  seeds  of  his  exam- 
ple which  inspired  it  sprang  up  in  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  younger  men,  and  brought  forth 
the  only  historic  movement  in  the  direction  of 
his  aims  that  has  arisen  since  his  venture  for 
emancipating  the  Episcopate,  and  the  unsecta- 
rizing  of  the  Church. 

But  whether  the  "  United  Churches  of  the 
United  States  "is  to  be  only  a  paper  plan  or  a 
definite  fact  the  future  alone  will  reveal. 

"  All  we  have  willed,  or  hoped,  or  dreamed  of  good  shall  ex- 
ist, 
Not  its  semhlance,   but  itself :    no  beauty,  nor   good,   nor 
power, 

^  American  Congress  of  Churches,  Hartford  meeting,  1885, 
pp.  23,  24,  25. 


176      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

Whose  voice  has  gone  forth,  but  each  survives  for  the  mel- 
odist 
When  eternity  confirms  the  conception  of  an  hour. 

"The  high  that  proved  too  high,  the  heroic  for  earth  too 
hard. 
The  passion  that  left  the  ground  to  lose  itself  in  the  sky, 
Are  music  sent  up  to  God  by  the  lover  and  the  bard  : 
Enough  that  He  heard  it  once,  — we  shall  hear  it  by  and 
by." 

KOBEKT  Bbowning,  AM  Vogler. 


THE  GROWTH  OF  INSTITUTIONAL- 
ISM  THROUGH  THE  GENIUS 
OF  HIS  PERSONALITY. 


"  The  holy  Catholic  Church  is  the  communion  of  saints.  The 
life  of  the  Spirit  is  the  life  of  communion  with  God.  It  is  not 
a  communion  which  is  measured  bj'  finite  limitations,  and  it  is 
not  distant  in  place,  nor  remote  in  time.  But  the  world  is 
slow  to  receive  this,  and  is  concerned  with  its  own  nothingness 
and  emptiness.  This  communion  is  transposed,  or  is  held  as 
the  association  of  an  adjourned  company.  It  is  foisted  into  the 
future,  in  that  conception  in  which  the  things  not  seen  are 
still  apprehended  as  some  future  temporality,  and  the  present 
is  occupied  only  with  some  indefinite  notions  among  its  pure 
negations. 

"  This  communion,  by  a  sheer  lift,  is  carried  into  another 
world,  which  is  then  only  another  world  in  the  succession  to 
this  world.  The  vague  aspiration  which  wearies  of  its  own 
vacancy,  and  the  imagination  which  lingers  among  the  things 
that  are  seen,  the  things  of  earth  and  time,  brings  to  this  its 
own  detachments. 

' '  The  writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  says,  '  Ye  are 
come  unto  this  communion ; '  it  is  not  '  Ye  shall  come  to  this 
communion.' 

"That  is  the  revision  of  the  skepticism  of  the  world.  The 
argument  of  the  writer  of  the  epistle  is  to  show  that  the  Christ 
has  rent  asunder  the  veil  which  separates  the  earth  from  the 
heavens,  and  those  who  are  in  the  world  from  those  who  have 
left  it.  It  is  not  a  communion  to  which  men  are  told  that  they 
shall  come,  nor  can  the  imagination  pass  beyond  these  words  : 
'  Ye  are  come  unto  the  city  of  the  living  God,  and  to  an  innumer- 
able company  of  angels,  to  the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the 
first-born,  which  are  ivritten  in  heaven,  and  to  God,  the  Judge  of 
all,  and  to  the  sjnrits  of  just  men  made  perfect.^  These  words 
embrace  the  whole  realization  of  that  historical  life  :  '  Ye  are 
come  unto  Mount  Zion,  and  unto  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and 
unto  Jesus,  the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant.'''''  —  Mulfobd, 
The  Republic  of  God. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   GROWTH    OF    INSTITUTIONALISM    THROUGH 
THE  GENIUS   OF   HIS   PERSONALITY. 

In  his  essay  upon  "  The  Church  as  a  Teacher 
of  Morality,"  the  author  of  "  Ecce  Homo,"  Pro- 
fessor Seeley,  of  Cambridge,  England,  uses  these 
words  :  — 

"  Upon  the  question  whether  the  Christian  commu- 
nity is  regarded  by  its  teachers  as  one  and  homoge- 
neous, or  as  divided  between  a  small  number  of  be- 
lievers, the  children  of  light,  and  a  large  number  of 
merely  nominal  believers,  —  the  disguised  children  of 
darkness,  — depends,  more  than  is  commonly  per- 
ceived, the  whole  character  of  Christian  teaching. 
Those  teachers  who  take  the  latter  view  will  practi- 
cally abandon  all  moral  questions  ;  those  who  take  the 
former  will  occupy  themselves  as  much  with  morality 
as  with  religion. 

"  That  the  High  Church  party,  who  have  generally 
shrunk  much  more  than  the  Evangelicals  from  draw- 
ing the  perilous  line  of  demarcation,  have,  neverthe- 
less, not  occupied  themselves  much  more  with  moral 
questions,  is  due  to  such  a  counteracting  influence. 
They  have  been,  for  the  most  part,  conservatives,  at- 


180       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

tached  by  temper  and  tradition  to  the  existing  order 
of  things,  both  political  and  social.  They  have  been 
disposed  to  regard  all  moral  questions  as  already  set- 
tled ;  and  when  they  have  possessed  activity  of  mind, 
they  have  exerted  it,  not  so  much  in  speculative  in- 
vestigation of  what  ought  to  be  held,  as  in  antiqua- 
rian inquii'ies  into  what  has  been  held. 

"  A  new  school  of  Chi'lstlan  teachers  has  sprung 
up  of  late  years,  which  neither  divides  the  congre- 
gation nor  defers  to  tradition.  The  Broad  Church 
party,  like  the  High  Church  party,  or,  still  more,  like 
the  Catholic  Church,  aspires  to  guide,  not  a  small 
collection  out  of  the  community,  but  the  community 
itself.  It  has  none  of  the  old  pietistic  shyness,  none 
of  that  shrinking  from  the  affairs  of  the  world  and 
society,  which  is  so  visible  in  all  sectarian  Christianity, 
and  which  sometimes  assumes  the  form  of  an  intense 
nervous  antipathy  to  human  beings.  It  admires  the 
Mediaeval  Church  and  Cromwell ;  it  sympathizes  with 
all  the  attempts  which  Christianity  has  made  to  influ- 
ence secular  government,  and  to  impose  its  law  upon 
whole  communities.  But  it  is  unlike  the  modern 
Catholic  Church,  or  the  old  High  Church  party  of 
England,  in  not  being  conservative.  By  being  in- 
tensely conservative  at  a  time  when  society  moves 
with  a  speed  like  that  of  the  planet  itself  through 
space,  the  ecclesiastical  systems  that  aspire  to  govern- 
ment become  more  hateful  to  the  world  than  the  in- 
offensive pietistic  societies  which  pretend  to  nothing 
of  the  kind.  But  the  Broad  Church  party  is  thor- 
oughly   liberal ;    it    hates    obstruction,    finality,    and 


THE    GROWTH   OF  INSTITUTIONALISM.     181 

every  sort  of  unnatural  constraint.  It  hates,  in  an 
especial  manner,  what  may  be  called  ecclesiasticism  ; 
so  that  the  clergy  of  this  school  are,  in  a  manner,  at 
war  with  their  own  order,  deplore  constantly  the 
weakness  and  mistakes  of  '  divines,'  and  in  all  dis- 
putes appeal  to  the  judgment  of  the  laity.  It  repu- 
diates the  principle  of  authority  in  the  investigation 
of  truth,  and  if  it  abides  by  some  ancient  beliefs,  and 
would  retain  them  as  the  basis  of  modern  order,  does 
so  on  the  ground  that  they  are  true,  and  that  they 
are  the  best  and  strongest  foundation  upon  which 
modern  order  can  be  based. 

"  Before  this  party,  then,  there  evidently  lies  a 
task  to  which  the  older  parties  were  not  equal.  No 
conservative  prejudices,  no  theological  despair,  need 
hinder  them  from  giving  the  people  a  Christian  mor- 
ality suited  to  the  age." 

While  Dr.  Mulilenberg  never  classed  himself 
as  a  Broad  Churchman,  and  was  most  decidedly 
not  of  that  eclectic  phase  of  mind  which  cul- 
tivates the  critical  habit  of  thought,  and  never 
professed  to  be  a  technical  scholar  with  the  re- 
fined tastes  of  scholarship,  nevertheless  he  has 
stood,  as  has  no  other  leader  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  for  the  development  both  of  the  per- 
sonal element  and  of  the  established  institution. 
Personality  and  Institutionalism  were  the  two 
opposite  poles  of  truth  with  him.  He  passed  in 
the  days  of  his  own  generation  as  a  visionary,  a 


182       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

dreamer,  a  beautiful  spirit  witli  Utopian  ideas 
continually  before  him,  but  not  as  one  of  the 
practical  men  of  the  church's  life  and  thought. 
To-day  the  so-called  practical  men  of  that  pe- 
riod are  forgotten,  while  the  practical  spirit  of 
Muhlenberg  is  at  the  van  of  the  church's  life 
of  the  present.  This  chapter  has  been  called 
"The  Growth  of  Institutionalisni  through  the 
Genius  of  his  Personality."  Let  a  few  added 
words  explain  what  is  meant  by  this  terminol- 
ogy. By  Ecclesiastical  Institutionalism  is  meant, 
in  a  broad  and  generic  way,  the  creations  of 
the  church  system,  the  methods  of  work,  and  the 
manifold  expression  of  individual  faith  and  chai'- 
acter,  through  the  avenues  of  that  order  of  things 
which  has  become  established  and  founded  by 
authority.  An  institutional  method  is  that 
method  which  has  become  established  by  church 
authority,  and  by  the  habits  of  ecclesiastical  life 
in  the  past,  so  that  it  has  become  the  accejDted 
and  conventional  mode  of  work,  and  manner  of 
thought.  It  is  the  old  channel  which  needs  only 
the  high  tide  of  a  strong  personality  to  fill  it,  so 
that  no  dangerous  bars  or  ledges  shall  prevent  a 
ready  access  from  the  haven  of  the  church  to  the 
outer  sea  of  the  stormy  world.  It  is  the  fault 
of  many  strong  personalities  that  their  methods 
of  work  must  be  personal,  self  -  originant,  self- 
willed,  and  oftentimes  wayward.     Their  individ- 


THE   GROWTH   OF  INSTITUTIONALISM.     183 

uality,  omng  in  j^art  to  the  element  of  intensity, 
seeks  to  shatter  and  destroy  the  conventional 
and  accepted  methods  which  lesser  men  rejoice 
in.  Thus  it  very  often  happens  that  a  strong 
personality  arrays  itself  vehemently  against  the 
accepted  institutions  which  it  finds  about  it, 
and  so  destroys  with  one  hand  what  it  seeks  to 
create  with  the  other.  The  strong  and  stormy 
Berserker-force  of  the  great  personality  shatters 
the  technique  which  it  finds  about  it,  just  as  the 
forceful  steam,  potent  but  ill-regulated,  destroys 
the  machinery  of  the  conventional  engine-room 
which  depends  for  its  success  upon  schedules, 
steam-gauges,  and  safety-valves. 

This  salient  fault  of  the  seK-made  personality 
was  most  carefully  avoided  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg. 
He  perceived  intuitively  the  limits  both  of  per- 
sonality and  institutionalism.  He  knew  that  the 
vital  force  in  the  church's  methods  was  at  times 
at  a  low  ebb,  but  he  never  confounded  the  lack 
of  force  with  the  mere  channel  of  its  manifesta- 
tion, and  in  this  way  he  made  his  personality  in- 
fuse its  power  into  the  old  method,  and  realized 
our  Lord's  words  when  He  said,  "  I  am  not  come 
to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill."  Dr.  Muhlenberg  re- 
alized early  in  life  that  truth  which  we  all  come 
sooner  or  later  to  learn,  —  that  there  are  vast, 
ugly,  illogical  difficulties  and  brute  forces  around 
us,  which  drive  the  herd  of  humanity  hither  and 


184      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

thither  with  huugry,  cavernous  passions ;  and 
that  it  very  often  haj^pens  that  our  pretty  little 
systems  of  the  past  do  not  reach  the  hard  ques- 
tions put  before  our  minds  for  solution.  The 
world  of  conventional  theory  is  one  thing,  the 
world  of  actual  practice  is  quite  another :  one  is 
the  world  of  the  academy  and  the  college ;  the 
other  is  the  world  of  the  knights  of  labor,  where 
every  practical  worker  in  life  feels  that  in  some 
way  he  must  make  himself  over  again  for  the  re- 
maining days  of  life.  It  was  Dr.  Midilenberg's 
rare  faculty  of  coordinating  the  very  widely 
separated  elements  in  his  nature,  which  enabled 
him  in  this  way  to  maintain  the  freshness  of  his 
personality,  and  at  the  same  time  to  utilize  the 
church's  institutional  machinery. 

The  strong  and  practical  men  of  our  profes- 
sions, business,  social,  and  philanthropic  life,  too 
often  exhibit  that  one  conspicuous  fault  of  all 
self-made  men,  —  contempt  for  the  conventional 
method.  The  new  man  and  the  new  plan  must 
have  a  new  method.  Here  we  come  across  one 
of  the  marked  limitations  of  the  so-caUed  prac- 
tical man,  and  one  which  Dr.  Mulilenberg  most 
happily  escaped.  The  seK-made  man,  the  self- 
educated  nature,  has  no  power,  in  judging  merely 
by  its  own  experience,  to  comprehend  the  mental 
status  of  those  who  reach  the  position  upon 
which  they  stand  by  logically  accepted  methods, 


THE    GROWTH    OF  INSTITVTIONALISM.     185 

and  not  merely  by  the  by-way  method,  the  hid- 
den, undiscovered  path  of  one's  own  individu- 
ality. 

Intuition  is  good  for  some  natures,  —  espe- 
cially for  those  who  have  it ;  but  all  do  not  pos- 
sess this  faculty,  and  therefore  the  methods  of 
the  self-made  man  should  not  be  heralded  as  the 
only  method  for  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men. 

The  power,  and  yet  the  weakness,  of  so-called 
self-made,  seK-educated  reformers,  at  times  is 
so  plainly  e\adent,  that  the  wise  man  is  he  who 
learns  to  be  afraid  of  those  hidden  nooks  and  by- 
ways in  the  markedly  individual  nature,  where 
the  charlatan  seeds  of  error  and  fallacy  grow 
and  flourish.  In  other  words,  —  and  this  is  the 
thought  to  wliich  these  opening  pages  of  the 
present  chajjter  are  intended  to  lead  the  way, 
—  Dr.  Muhlenberg  knew  the  value  there  is  in 
ha^^ng  a  well-trained  mind.  The  philosopher 
and  the  practical  man  were  found  working  in 
his  nature  side  by  side  most  harmoniously ;  and 
in  this  way  he  handled,  like  a  successful  general 
upon  the  field,  the  very  far  distant  and  opposite 
ends  of  what  but  for  this  might  have  been  a 
mere  poetical  and  straggling  nature.  The  genius 
in  him  submitted  most  wisely  to  the  discipline 
of  shafts  and  harness ;  and  thus  while  he  was 
a  theoretical  Pegasus,  he  was  at  the  same  time 
a  practical  dray-horse.     lie  realized  that  the 


186       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

trained  mind  is  always  a  power ;  that  it  is  the 
trained  mind  which  does  not  make  haste  and  is 
not  put  to  shame ;  and  that  it  is  this  which  can 
best  lead  others,  can  adapt  itself  to  its  limited 
surroundings,  can  always  take  in  the  situation, 
and  can  put  itself  by  the  power  of  sympathy  and 
imagination  in  the  place  of  others.  It  was  this 
faculty  of  the  trained  or  disciplined  mind  which 
marked  Dr.  Mulilenberg's  projected  endeavors 
for  the  welfare  of  mankind  in  all  his  plans  for 
ecclesiastical  and  social  reform.  He  worked  the 
judgment  of  others  into  the  raw  material  of 
his  own  schemes;  and  in  this  way  he  avoided 
waywardness,  self-conceit,  and  the  upstart  bold- 
ness of  the  self-made  nature.  He  kept  his  per- 
sonality ever  fresh  and  resolute,  ever  charged 
"with  tonic  moral  and  spiritual  resilience ;  and 
while  he  utilized  the  old  conventional  methods, 
he  did  not  despise  the  familiar  pattern  of  the 
day  of  small  things.  And  this  is  the  strong  ele- 
ment in  his  character,  by  which  he  indicated  to 
the  church  a  new  field  for  her  hidden  activities 
in  that  sphere  of  morality  which  Professor  Seeley 
has  shown  was  the  special  mission  of  the  Broad 
Church  party. 

His  wise  and  disciplined  use  of  the  church's  old 
methods  has  been  of  more  practical  avail  than 
the  larger  liberty  of  the  Broad  Church  school  of 
thought,  since  his  schemes  have  been  not  in  the 


THE   GROWTH  OF  INSTITUTIONALISM.     187 

line  of  scholastic  and  analytic  criticism,  but  in 
that  of  practical  and  constructive  work. 

It  has  been  the  development  of  the  church's 
conventional  institutionalism,  through  the  genius 
of  his  own  fresh  and  hopeful  personality,  which 
has  given  to  Dr.  Muhlenberg  that  conspicuous 
position  of  inspired  leadership  which  the  Ej)is- 
copal  Church  of  to-day  unmistakably  recognizes, 
and  hails  with  supreme  delight. 

"  I  count  life  just  a  stuff 
To  try  the  souFs  strength  on,  —  educe  the  man. 
Who  keeps  one  End  in  view  makes  all  things  serve." 

Browning,  In  a  Balcony, 

Men  did  not  see  in  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  lifetime 
the  principle  of  his  life's  perspective  ;  or  how  it 
was  that,  having  one  end  in  view,  he  really  did 
make  all  things  serve.  But  we  see  it  now,  as 
we  look  back  upon  his  life ;  and  that  which  hap- 
pened to  him,  in  God's  care  and  oversight,  may 
happen  to  any  one  of  us  if,  like  Muhlenberg, 
we  make  all  things  serve  one  end. 

The  vast  benevolent  organizations  which  grew 
up  under  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  hands,  although 
they  reached  their  highest  development  at  a 
later  period  in  his  life  than  the  enterprises  re- 
viewed in  the  foregoing  chapters,  were  no  mere 
afterthought  in  the  scheme  of  his  life's  plan. 
They  were  involved  in  the  primordial  germs  of 
his  system ;  their  prophetic  foregleams  can  be 


188       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

traced  in  some  of  liis  earliest  utterances  and 
acts ;  while  the  character  which  he  impressed 
upon  them  was  suffused  throughout  with  heart- 
warm  Evangelical  Catholicism.  The  Evangel- 
ical Catholic  ideal  was  too  vital  and  practical  a 
matter  to  continue  always  as  a  mere  idea.  As 
all  life  must  find  embodiment,  so  this  new  force 
of  Christian  sentiment  was  bound  to  make  for 
itself  a  corporate  outwardness  in  a  body  of  en- 
during institutionalism.  Like  all  living  bodies, 
this  institutionalism  resulting  from  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg's idea  was  a  growth  arising  with  perfect 
naturalness,  as  by  manifest  destiny,  out  of  the 
living  energy  of  the  idea  itself. 

The  earliest  manifestation  of  organic  form 
which  the  thought  assumed  was  in  the  inception 
of  a  Church  Sisterhood  in  1845.  At  that  time 
there  was  no  organization  of  the  kind  in  any 
Protestant  communion,  either  in  America  or 
England.  He  had  a  clear  conviction,  even  prior 
to  this  time,  as  to  the  necessity  of  the  womanly 
element  as  an  agency  and  influence  in  any  wor- 
thy or  permanent  organization  of  charity  ;  and 
the  vision  of  a  community  of  women  consecrated 
to  a  life  of  charitable  service  had  floated  before 
him  as  a  working  factor  in  the  group  of  chari- 
ties which  he  foresaw  growing  up  around  the 
future  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion ;  but  he 
had  neither  laid  any  plans  nor  taken  any  steps 


THE   GROWTH  OF  INSTITUTION ALISM.      189 

in  the  matter,  when  an  event  occurred  which 
precipitated  his  action  and  discovered  his  skill 
in  improving  a  favorable  opportunity. 

This  occurrence  was  nothing  less  common- 
place, nor  less  to  be  expected  by  the  true  minis- 
ter of  God,  than  the  effectual  blessing  of  God's 
Holy  Spirit  upon  his  words  spoken  in  his  name. 
After  listening  to  a  sermon  from  his  lips  upon 
the  incident  of  Jephtha's  vow,  one  of  his  hearers 
resolved  to  consecrate  her  energies  to  the  undi- 
vided service  of  God  in  the  work  of  a  Sister's 
life.  A  very  brief  interview  with  Dr.  Mulilen- 
berg  after  the  discourse  was  sufficient  to  confirm 
this  resolution ;  and  although  he  had  as  yet  no 
expectation  and  no  definite  plan  of  entering  so 
soon  upon  the  project  of  organizing  such  a  band 
of  workers,  he  nevertheless  accepted  this  as  an 
intimation  that  God's  hour  for  the  task  had 
come,  and  that  he  must  carry  forward  what  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  had  thus  auspiciously  begun. 
Accordingly,  one  evening  the  following  winter, 
in  the  church,  after  the  dispersion  of  the  congre- 
gation from  daily  service,  the  first  Protestant 
Sister  of  the  English-speaking  world  received 
consecration  before  the  altar  at  the  hands  of  Dr. 
Muhlenberg. 

To  be  convinced  that  this  humble  germ  of 
institutional  life  was  a  plant  of  the  heavenly 
Father's  planting,  one  needs  but  to  look  abroad 


190      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

and  see  the  vast  and  varied  enterprises  of  be- 
nevolence that  are  now  carried  forward  by  the 
devoted  activity  of  Church  Sisterhoods  in  the 
United  States.  The  earhest  incentive  to  devel- 
opment in  this  direction  was  derived  from  Dr. 
Muhlenberg's  successful  initiation  and  manage- 
ment of  this  first  Sisterhood  in  connection  with 
the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  and  the 
administration  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital.  He 
clearly  saw  that,  without  the  devoted  ministry 
and  consecrated  labor  of  such  a  band  of  women, 
the  successful  operation  of  a  great  church  hos- 
pital was  more  than  doubtful.  Therefore,  in 
sjDite  of  the  prejudice  and  suspicion  incident  to 
the  "Oxford"  excitement,  he  steadily  main- 
tained his  demand  for  such  an  organization  of 
voluntary  nurses,  as  essential  to  the  hospital 
institution,  often  uttering  as  an  axiom,  "No 
Sisterhood,  no  St.  Luke's."  The  utmost  tact 
and  patience  were  requisite  in  order  to  carry  the 
point  in  the  teeth  of  suspicious  and  prejudiced 
opposition;  and  the  columns  of  the  "Evangel- 
ical Catholic"  were  used  with  masterly  judg- 
ment and  effect  in  softening  prejudice  and  re- 
moving unreasoning  opposition. 

That  the  character  of  the  organization  was  an 
original  conception  with  him,  growing  harmo- 
niously and  symmetrically  out  of  his  Evangelic 
Catholic  churchmanship,  -svill   appear  from  the 


THE   GROWTH   OF  INSTITUTJONALISM.     191 

following  words  of  his,  introductory  to  a  work 
entitled  '*  Thoughts  on  Evangelical  Sisterhoods," 
by  the  fii'st  Sister :  — 

"  At  once,  then,  let  it  be  said,  that  while  we  do  not 
underrate  the  good  that  is  done  by  such  orders  as  the 
Sisters  of  Charity  in  the  Roman  communion,  we  desire 
to  attempt  no  copying  of  them  among  ourselves. 
They  are  essentially  Roman.  To  say  nothing  of  their 
corruptions,  and  errors  of  faith,  their  perpetual  vows, 
their  constrained  cehbacy,  their  unreserved  submis- 
sion to  ecclesiastical  rule,  their  subjection  of  the  con- 
science to  priestly  guidance,  their  onerous  rounds  of 
ceremonies  and  devotions,  the  whole  tenor  of  their 
exterior  religious  life,  make  them  a  homogeneous  part 
of  the  system  of  that  church.  They  could  exist  no- 
where else.  There  can  be  no  imitations  of  them  in  a 
Protestant  church.  '  A  Sisterhood  '  (the  appellation  is 
too  good  to  be  given  up),  as  here  contended  for,  is  a 
very  simple  thing.  It  is  a  community  of  Christian 
women  devoted  to  works  of  charity,  as  the  service  of 
their  lives,  or  of  a  certain  portion  of  them.  For  the 
most  part  they  form  a  household  of  themselves,  that 
being  necessary  in  order  to  their  mutual  sympathy 
and  encouragement,  and  to  their  greater  unity  and 
efficiency  in  action.  They  are  held  together  by  iden- 
tity of  purpose,  and  accordance  of  will  and  feeling. 
Their  one  bond  of  union  is  simply  the  '  Love  of 
Christ  constraining  them.'  As  long  as  that  continues 
to  be  a  constraining  motive,  cordially  uniting  the 
members,  their  society  will  last.     In  proportion  as 


192       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

that  languishes  and  fails,  it  will  decline  and  dissolve 
of  its  own  accord.  In  this  respect,  as  well  as  in  so 
many  others,  it  differs  from  any  of  the  religious 
orders  of  the  Roman  Church.  To  whatever  extent 
these  latter  are  actuated  by  the  genuine  life  of  true 
charity,  yet  they  have  all  another  and  independent 
life,  derived  from  the  system  of  which  they  are  a  com- 
ponent part,  and  which  may  be  called  their  ecclesi- 
astical life.  Hence  they  may  continue  to  exist,  in 
virtue  of  the  latter,  while  the  former  is  no  more. 
Though  their  proper  vitality  be  gone,  the  force  of  the 
church  still  acts  upon  them,  impelling  them  on,  and 
keeping  them  in  action.  They  may  be  in  a  state 
of  moral  apostasy  ;  personal  piety  and  virtue  may 
be  rare,  or  be  entirely  extinct,  in  them ;  abuses  and 
corruptions  may  be  multiplying :  nevertheless  they 
live  and  prosper  in  their  own  way.  They  have  lost 
none  of  their  mere  ecclesiastical  vitality.  They  re- 
tain the  imparted  energy  of  'the  church.'  Prot- 
estantism has  no  such  power.  That  belongs  to  a 
consolidated  church.  Protestantism  possesses  not  the 
art  of  keeping  dead  things  alive.  Orders  of  charity, 
should  they  come  to  pass  among  us,  will  be  such 
really  and  actually  as  long  as  they  last.  They  may 
not  last  long,  but  they  will  be  what  they  profess  to  be 
as  long  as  they  do  last.  They  will  not  survive  their 
true  and  proper  existence ;  they  will  derive  no  after- 
being,  no  perfunctory  and  mechanical  life,  from  the 
church.  As  the  spontaneous  product  of  charity,  they 
will  thrive  just  as  the  spirit  of  charity  continues  to 
be   their   indwelling   spirit.      Their   corruption   will 


THE    GROWTH   OF  INSTITUTION ALISM.     193 

lead  to  their  dissolution.  Having  only  one  life,  when 
tliey  are  dead  they  will  die.  Nothing,  then,  is  to  be 
feared  from  a  truly  Evangelical  Sisterhood.  When 
it  degenerates  it  will  come  to  an  end.  It  depends  for 
its  continuance  whoUy  upon  the  continuance  of  the 
zeal  which  called  it  into  being.  The  uniting  prin- 
ciple among  its  members  is  their  common  affection 
for  the  object  which  has  brought  them  together,  and 
which,  by  giving  intenseness  to  their  mutual  affection 
as  Sisters  in  Christ,  tends  to  strengthen  and  confirm 
their  social  existence ;  but  there  is  no  constraint  from 
without  on  the  part  of  the  church,  not  any  from  within 
in  the  form  of  religious  vows,  or  promises  to  one 
another,  to  insure  their  perjietuity  as  a  body,  or  to 
interfere  with  their  freedom  of  conscience  as  indi- 
viduals. While  one  in  feeling  and  action,  each  yet 
'  stands  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  has  made 
us  free.'  Not  that  they  hold  themselves  ever  ready 
to  adjourn,  or  that  they  would  be  satisfied  with  an 
ephemeral  existence.  Each  and  all  feel  that  they 
have  entered  upon  a  sacred  service,  which  they  are  at 
liberty  to  quit  only  at  the  demand  of  duty  elsewhere. 
They  naturally  cherish  their  union.  They  look  for- 
ward to  its  permanence  in  themselves,  and  their  suc- 
cessors who  may  be  called  thereto.  How  it  may  be 
they  do  not  know.  They  walk  by  faith.  As  they 
trust  their  society  has  come  to  pass  in  the  gracious 
ordering  of  God,  so  they  believe  it  will  be  upheld  by 
Him  as  long  as  He  has  work  for  them  to  do,  and  it 
pleases  Him  to  give  them  grace  to  do  it.  Hand- 
maidens of  the  Lord,  waiting  upon  his  good  pleasure, 


194       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

they  are  not  anxious  for  the  future,  content  to  leave 
it  in  his  hands." 

As  regarded  any  central  organization  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  said :  — 

"  It  is  wholly  undesirable.  We  want  no  such  com- 
bination, no  wide  spread  of  charity,  under  one  head, 
or  church  control.  Neither,  for  my  part,  would  I 
have  these  associations  to  be  bodies  corporate  in  law, 
or  in  any  way  capable  of  holding  property  in  their 
own  right.  Should  they  have  dwelling-houses,  as 
places  of  retirement  when  disabled,  or  in  their  old 
age,  these,  with  moderate  endowments,  might  be  held 
for  them  by  trustees,  *but  nothing  further.  As  simple 
evangelical  associations,  not  ecclesiastical  organiza- 
tions, the  less  they  have  of  the  means  of  worldly 
influence  the  better.  Let  this  be  understood,  and 
any  fears  or  jealousies  of  a  woman -power  in  the 
church,  which,  in  fact,  would  be  a  priestly  power, 
will  have  no  place.  The  dread  of  convents,  abbesses, 
lady  superiors,  and  everything  of  that  sort,  will  van- 
ish." 

The  band  of  Sisters  was  formally  organized 
under  a  body  of  rules,  as  the  Sisterhood  of  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  in  1852,  and 
continued  during  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  lifetime  to 
render  noble  service  in  the  various  charities  of 
the  parish,  and  in  St.  Luke's  Hospital.  And 
thus  the  primitive  order  of  deaconesses  was,  not 
theoretically  but  actually,  restored  to  Protestant 


THE   GROWTH  OF  INSTITUTIONALISM.    195 

Chi'istianity.  It  was  the  practical  genius  and 
tlie  strong,  benevolent  personality  of  Dr.  Muli- 
lenberg  that  effected  this,  and  in  so  quiet  and 
permanent  a  manner  as  hardly  served  to  excite 
the  remark  of  the  Christian  public.  How  many 
organized  and  systematic  enterprises  of  charity 
grew  out  of  his  work  in  the  parish  of  the  Holy 
Communion  we  have  seen  in  the  chapter  on  "  His 
Type  of  Churchmanship."  His  Catholicism  was 
vital,  and  therefore  its  concrete  embodiment  in 
institutions  was  instantaneous  and  inevitable. 
It  was  in  reference  to  the  rapid  spread  of  this 
feature  of  his  work,  as  by  a  sort  of  spiritual  in- 
fection, that  the  statement  has  been  made  that 
"every  movement  of  spiritual  life  within  the 
Episcopal  Church  for  the  past  fifty  years  may 
be  traced  back  in  some  way  to  Dr.  Muhlenberg 
as  its  point  of  departure."  ^ 

As  all  genuine  growth  is  silent,  so  all  these  no- 
ble monuments  of  his  consecrated  genius  grew  up 
and  were  carried  on  in  the  same  quiet,  natural, 
and  simple  way  which  so  distinguished  him  in 
every  creation  that  sprang  from  his  prolific  per- 
sonality. He  seemed  utterly  unconscious  that 
he  was  doing  anything  great  or  remarkable,  and 
went  about  the  initiation  of  his  most  astonishincr 
undertakings  with  the  habitual  composure  and 

^  The  late  Rev.  F.  E.  Lawrence,  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  successor 
at  the  Cliurch  of  the  Holy  Communion. 


196       WlLLIAJf  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

matter-of-course  bearing  of  one  engaged  in  the 
most  ordinary  and  commonplace  occupation. 

Thus,  as  we  have  ah'eady  seen  at  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  holy  communion  on  St.  Luke's  Day, 
1846,  he  quietly  announced  that  one  half  of  the 
offerings  for  that  day  would  be  set  apart  to  be 
devoted  to  the  founding  of  a  church  hospital  in 
the  city,  to  be  known  as  the  St.  Luke's  Hospital, 
and  realized  in  consequence  the  paltry  sum  of 
$30  with  which  to  inaugurate  the  history  of  this 
now  famous  and  beneficent  institution. 

Yet  the  result  evinced  the  wisdom  of  this 
method  of  beginning.  On  each  successive  St. 
Luke's  Day  the  matter  was  again  brought  be- 
fore his  people,  until  their  interest  began  to  be 
excited,  and  their  enthusiasm  was  aroused,  by 
the  church  hospital  idea.  Thus  he  was  able  to 
mould  the  popular  conception  of  its  character, 
and  to  hold  that  conception  true  to  his  own  idea. 
At  length  the  proper  opportunity  for  success- 
fully establishing  the  measure  arose,  which  Dr. 
Muhlenberg,  with  his  customary  sagacity  and 
promptitude,  was  not  slow  to  embrace.  He  had 
done  nothing  toward  realizing  his  anticipations, 
except  the  usual  notice  on  each  recurring  festival 
of  St.  Luke,  until  the  autumn  of  1849,  when 
St.  Luke's  Day  was  observed  by  his  congrega- 
tion as  an  especial  thanksgiving  for  deliverance 
from  the  cholera,  —  only  two  members  having 


THE   GROWTH  OF  INSTITUTJ ONALISM.    197 

been  lost  through  the  plague.  The  terrible  visit- 
ation had  not  only  filled  the  city  with  grief  and 
terror,  but  had  impressed  the  public  with  the 
great  need  of  better  hospital  accommodation. 
It  required  a  scourge  to  lead  the  Christian  com- 
munity to  perceive  this,  which  Dr.  Muhlenberg 
had  long  realized  with  helpless  anguish  of  spirit, 
and  which  had  compelled  him  to  make  his  bold 
move  for  a  church  hospital.  The  congregation 
and  the  public  generally  were  in  a  temper  to 
enter  heartily  into  a  thanksgi\ang  service,  and 
to  appreciate  with  cordial  favor  the  importance 
of  the  long-projected  hospital.  The  service  was 
worthy  of  the  occasion,  with  its  threefold  design 
of  commemoration,  thanksgiving,  and  benevo- 
lence. A  number  of  clergymen  took  part  in  the 
service,  and  the  offertory  was  converted  into  a 
general  thank  offering  to  be  applied  to  the  hos- 
pital fvind.  The  result  was  so  encouraging  as 
to  justify  immediate  measures  for  carrying  the 
project  into  effect. 

Thus  was  planted,  "  by  the  hand  of  Him  who 
would  not  let  it  die,"  the  seed  which  was  des- 
tined so  soon  to  grow  into  one  of  the  most  noble 
institutions  of  the  church  in  this  western  world, 
and  to  become  the  model  of  countless  other  in- 
stitutions of  like  kind  and  aim  to  the  founding 
of  which  the  wonderful  success  of  his  example 
first  gave  the  impulse. 


198       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

Soon  after  the  success  of  this  measure  he 
wrote  two  lectures,  entitled  "  A  Plea  for  a 
Church  Hospital,"  and  delivered  them  in  differ- 
ent churches  throughout  the  city,  to  such  pur- 
pose as  to  bring  the  scheme  into  universal  favor. 
About  this  time  a  gift  of  -110,000  was  privately 
placed  in  his  hand  by  Mr.  Robert  B.  Minturn 
toward  the  new  hospital,  as  a  thank  offering  for 
a  special  favor  ;  and  -f  5,000  were  received  from 
an  unknown  donor  through  the  offertory  of  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Communion.  In  May, 
1850,  St.  Luke's  Hospital  was  incorporated, 
and  the  board  of  managers,  with  Mr.  Robert  B. 
Minturn  as  president,  resolved  to  solicit  the 
Christian  public  for  the  sum  of  -1100,000. 

"  In  pursuance  of  this,"  wrote  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg, in  his  sketch  of  the  "  History  and  Progress 
of  St.  Luke's,"  "a  meeting  of  churchmen  was 
held  in  the  Stuyvesant  Institute,  at  which,  after 
addresses  by  several  of  the  clergy,  of  different 
schools  or  parties,  but  one  in  the  charity  which 
stills  even  theological  polemics,  committees  of 
collection  were  appointed,  and  the  work  was  put 
fairly  afloat." 

The  desired  amount  was  secured  much  sooner 
and  with  much  less  difficulty  than  was  usual  in 
those  days  with  charitable  solicitations ;  but  the 
last  $5,000,  given  expressly  to  complete  the 
wished-for  sum,  was  coupled  with  the  condition 


THE    GROWTH   OF  INST ITUTIONALISM.     199 

that  $50,000  more  should  be  raised,  which  some- 
what delayed  the  completion  of  the  fund,  but 
the  entire  amount  of  $150,000  in  subscriptions 
was  in  due  time  realized.  Dr.  Muhlenberg 
having  meanwhile,  in  a  manner  peculiar  to  him- 
self, mastered  the  whole  inevitable  array  of  dif- 
ficulties and  debates  about  a  site  for  the  new 
hospital  building,  the  corner-stone  was  laid  May 
6,  1854,  by  Bishop  Wainwright.  His  plan  in 
reference  to  the  design  of  the  building,  "  to  pro- 
vide rooms  for  the  good  women,  the  Sisters,  who, 
under  the  pastor  and  superintendent,  it  was  tac- 
itly understood,  were  to  have  charge  of  the  sick," 
was  unanimously  opposed  and  forbidden  by  the 
board  on  its  first  mention. 

This  unforeseen  opposition  came  near  wreck- 
ing Dr.  Muhlenberg's  most  cherished  plan  of  an 
agency  for  the  Christian  economy  of  the  pro- 
posed hospital,  without  which  he  clearly  foresaw 
that  the  results  of  the  institution  in  relation  to 
the  kingdom  of  God,  as  well  as  its  humanitarian 
success,  could  never  be  what  he  designed  that 
they  should  be.  We  who  are  familiar  with  the 
work  of  the  Protestant  sisterhoods  among  the 
charitable  agencies  of  all  our  large  cities  cannot 
readily  understand  the  deep-seated  prejudice 
and  aversion  with  which  the  very  name  was  re- 
garded in  the  days  when  the  only  sisterhood  in 
the  land  was  that  which  Dr.  Muhlenberg  had 


200      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

brought  into  being  in  connection  with  the  work 
of  his  own  parish.  The  prejudice  was  an  ele- 
ment in  the  public  opinion  of  the  time  which 
the  hospital  board  did  not  dare  disregard,  al- 
though personally  they  were  not  affected  by  it. 
By  judicious  delays,  however,  and  some  minor 
concessions,  the  fears  of  "  Puseyite  sisters  "  and 
"Protestant  nuns  "  were  so  far  allayed  or  ban- 
ished from  the  public  mind  that  by  the  time  the 
hospital  was  opened  they  were  admitted  to  their 
true  place  and  function  in  its  domestic  adminis- 
tration. 

After  six  months  passed  abroad  in  studying 
the  great  hospitals  of  London  and  Paris,  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  returned,  in  the  autumn  of  1855, 
to  superintend  the  building  of  St.  Luke's.  He 
did  not  borrow  his  design  of  the  building,  how- 
ever, from  any  European  institution.  That  was 
determined  upon  before  going  abroad.  The 
architect,  Mr.  J.  W.  Rich,  was  directed  to  start 
with  that  which  had  been  the  design  of  Dr. 
Mulilenberg  from  the  beginning,  namely,  a  cen- 
tral chapel  immediately  communicating  with  the 
wards.  Corridors  running  lengthwise  outside 
the  wards,  and  connected  with  the  chapel,  made 
the  latter,  with  its  ample  windows,  a  reservoir 
of  fresh  air,  which  permeated  the  entire  build- 
ing by  means  of  the  double  stairways,  and  could 
be  admitted  at  will  into  the  wards.     The  chapel 


THE   GROWTH  OF  INSTITUTIONALISM.     201 

and  its  Christian  offices  were  the  central  features 
of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  conception  of  the  hospital 
building  and  administration.  He  never  lost 
sight  of  its  foundation  idea  and  distinctive  char- 
acter as  a  church  institution.  Catholic  brother- 
hood was  the  dominant  idea  in  this  "  Hospital 
Church,"  —  his  favorite  name  for  it,  —  as  in 
all  his  other  conceptions.  The  hospital  wards, 
three  hundred  feet  long,  radiating  from  the 
chapel,  he  used  to  call  the  "long-drawn  aisles 
of  his  cathedral."  His  grand  voice  and  distinct 
articulation  carried  every  word  of  the  service 
through  the  open  doors  to  the  remotest  occupant 
in  the  wards,  and  bj  means  of  their  successive 
inmates  he  claimed  to  have  preached  the  gospel, 
in  the  aggregate,  to  many  more  souls  than  did 
the  rectors  of  the  largest  city  churches.  The 
chapel  was  completed  and  opened  for  di\ane 
worship  one  year  before  the  opening  of  the 
hospital   proper,  —  that  is,   on  Ascension  Day, 

1857.  Meanwliile  subscriptions  had  been  opened 
for  an  addition  of  another  ilOO,000  to  the  build- 
ing fund,  which  was  raised  after  some  delays, 
and  the  whole  was  completed  and  formally 
opened  at  the  festival  of  the  Ascension,  May  13, 

1858.  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  with  characteristic  en- 
ergy, secured  the  means  to  furnish  the  wards, 
and  they  were  speedily  filled  with  patients,  imder 
the  care  of  the  Sisterhood. 


202       WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

There  were  no  funds  in  existence  as  yet  with 
which  to  meet  the  running  expenses  of  the 
hospital,  but  Dr.  Mulilenberg's  simple  faith  was 
an  inexhaustible  capital  in  itself,  which  made 
suspension  or  failure  impossible.  The  proposi- 
tion to  postpone  the  opening  of  the  hospital  until 
such  a  fund  could  be  provided  met  with  an  em- 
phatic refusal  upon  his  part.  He  knew  that  the 
fountains  of  living  charity  in  the  community 
would  be  quickened  and  enlarged  by  means  of 
this  waiting,  trusting  attitude  on  the  part  of  the 
hospital  authorities,  and  he  was  not  disappointed. 
No  sooner  was  it  understood  that  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg himself  had,  by  agreement  with  the  man- 
agers, assumed  all  responsibility  as  to  household 
expenses  for  the  first  three  years,  than  jjlentif ul 
donations  began  to  pour  in  from  that  large  part 
of  the  Christian  public  interested  in  the  success 
of  the  institution.  Hospital  associations  were 
formed,  at  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  instigation,  among 
the  young  men  of  the  different  city  parishes,  who 
charged  themselves  with  the  duty  of  searching 
out,  bringing  to  the  hospital,  and  maintaining 
while  there,  the  sick  and  destitute  who  came 
under  their  observation ;  the  members  also  visit- 
ing the  beneficiaries  while  in  the  hospital,  pro- 
viding decent  Christian  burial  in  case  of  death, 
and  interesting  themselves  to  set  them  on  their 
way  again  in  life  if  they  recovered. 


THE   GROWTH   OF  INSTITUTIONALISM.     203 

From  the  first,  Dr.  Muhlenberg  made  the 
Hospital  what  the  Institute  and  College  had 
been  in  years  gone  by,  —  a  Christian  family,  in 
the  character  of  its  association  and  the  quality 
of  its  ministries.  He  was,  at  the  date  of  its 
opening,  still  rector  of  the  Parish  of  the  Holy 
Communion,  but  it  was  not  his  manner  to  supei*- 
intend  such  an  enterprise  until  it  was  ready  to 
be  launched  on  its  proper  work,  and  then  com- 
mit its  destiny  to  other  hands.  He  never  lost 
sight  of  the  guiding  principle  in  all  his  under- 
takings, that  a  controlling  and  moulding  person- 
ality is  the  mainspring  always  in  any  institution. 
As  he  had  merged  his  life  with  that  of  his  boys 
in  the  Institute,  in  order  to  insure  its  develop- 
ment into  the  character  which  he  had  conceived 
for  it,  so  now  no  other  thought  entered  his  mind 
than  that  he,  as  resident  pastor  and  superin- 
tendent, must  be  the  formative  and  animating 
spirit  of  St.  Luke's,  in  order  to  determine  its 
proper  administration  as  a  Christian  hospital ; 
and  in  1859  he  relinquished  all  direct  respon- 
sibility for  the  Parish  of  the  Holy  Communion, 
and  devoted  himself  to  the  management  and 
pastoral  duties  of  St.  Luke's.  What  he  was  to 
St.  Luke's  for  the  first  twenty  years  of  its  history, 
as  pastor  and  executive  head,  in  the  new  system 
of  nursing  which  he  introduced,  with  the  element 
of  personal  interest,  and   intelligent,  conscien- 


204        WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

tious,  responsible  care  as  its  leading  feature  ;  in 
the  jiersonal  solicitude  with  which  he  ministered 
to  the  spiritual  necessities  of  the  stricken  in- 
mates ;  in  the  atmosphere  of  home-like  cheer  and 
peace  and  comfort  which  pervaded  the  house  as 
the  effect  of  his  benignant  presence ;  in  the  sa- 
cred offices  of  religion  which  he  performed  with 
solemnizing,  comforting,  and  elevating  results,  — 
these  things  cannot  be  written  down.  "  Pas- 
toral," or  "  practical  "  theology,  like  "  peda- 
gogics "  so  called,  is  not  a  science  to  be  acquired 
and  dispensed  by  rule.  The  cure  of  souls  is  an 
art,  and  in  this,  as  in  all  art,  the  personal  ele- 
ment dominates  everything ;  and  a  personality 
is  a  thing  which,  in  its  full  flavor  and  effect,  can 
never  be  communicated  on  paper.  The  minis- 
try was  to  Dr.  Muhlenberg  emphatically,  above 
everything  else,  the  cure  of  souls. 

St.  Johnland  was  the  most  characteristic  of 
all  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  public  undertakings.  It 
embodied  more  of  his  personality  in  its  spirit 
and  aims  than  any  other  of  his  benevolent  plans, 
and  more  nearly  expressed  the  Christly  temper 
of  his  heart.  Perhaps  the  distance  by  which 
his  life  and  faith,  in  their  nearness  to  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  were  removed  from  the  covetous  heart 
of  an  unbelieving  generation,  may  be  indicated 
by  the  significant  fact  that,  notwithstanding  its 
instant  and  permanent  success  as  an  industrial 


THE    GROWTH  OF   INSTITUTION ALISM.     205 

community  established  upon  principles  of  gen- 
uinely Christian  socialism,  it  has  had  no  imi- 
tators. It  is  the  one  type  of  institutionalism, 
growing  out  of  his  personality,  which  the  tem- 
per of  the  time  has  not  suffered  to  spread. 

Perhaps  this  may  be  owing  to  the  fact  that 
much  of  our  benevolent  work  in  the  present  age 
is  done  by  committees,  and  not  by  indi^duals. 
Conmiittees,  like  corporations,  often  have  no 
souls,  whereas  God,  when  He  would  speak  to  the 
world,  has  always  spoken  by  prophets,  and  not 
by  committees. 

In  all  these  years  since  Dr.  Muhlenberg  found- 
ed this  unique  society,  as  a  living  exemj)lifica- 
tion  of  the  principles  of  Christ  in  the  social  life, 
the  Christian  public  have  been  eagerly  combat- 
ing or  apologizing  for  abstract  theories  of  social 
reorganization,  which,  if  left  unnoticed,  would 
die  of  themselves  ;  the  priest  and  the  Levite 
have  still  gone  down,  according  to  their  wont, 
from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  and,  after  looking 
on  the  festering  sores  of  the  social  body,  suffer- 
ing and  wounded  by  humanity's  conventional 
thieves,  have  passed  by  on  the  other  side,  ab- 
sorbed in  wise  discourse  about  the  methods  of 
preventing  the  self -same  thieves  from  plying 
their  trade ;  but,  since  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  no 
good  Samaritan  has  so  far  denied  himself  the 
innate  delight  which  the  world  of  theory  seems 


206       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

to  afford,  as  to  manifest  any  skill  or  enthusiasm 
in  the  very  practical  matter  of  providing  an  inn 
where  the  native  energies  of  the  sufferer  may 
have  ojjportunity  to  rally. 

This  precisely  was  the  effort  and  aim  of  Dr. 
Mulilenberg  in  the  St.  Johnland  venture.  He 
purchased  about  six  hundred  acres  of  land  on 
the  n(9tih  side  of  Long  Island,  combining  all  the 
natural  advantages  essential  to  such  an  experi- 
ment. Upon  this  tract  he  founded  a  village, 
composed,  for  the  most  part,  of  single  cottages. 
The  purpose  of  this  community  life  he  has  ex- 
plained at  length  in  words  which  once  read  like 
prophecy  and  are  now  a  matter  of  every  day 
history. 

This  latest  venture  of  St.  Johnland,  as  he 
himself  has  described  it  with  his  own  direct- 
ness, was  the  modest  and  spiritual  contribu- 
tion of  this  man  of  action  towards  the  solu- 
tion of  the  social  problems  of  the  age,  with 
which  the  most  active  minds  have  been  grap- 
pling for  so  long,  with  little  or  no  practical  and 
enduring  result.  The  comprehensive  and  acute 
thinker,  who  undertakes  to  master  all  the  factors 
in  the  problem  of  the  inequalities  of  wealth  dis- 
tribution, will  sooner  or  later  reach  the  convic- 
tion of  his  incapacity  to  grasp  and  hold  in  due 
relation  and  perspective  the  vast  and  varied 
elemental  forces  involved  ;  and  he  will  more  and 


THE   GROWTU  OF  INSTITU  TIONALISM.     207 

more  be  disposed  to  doubt  his  right  to  have  or 
to  express  decided  opinions  on  the  subject.  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  persistently  declined  to  attempt 
any  "  solution "  at  all.  He  had  no  theory  of 
social  reorganization  which  was  to  operate  as  a 
panacea  for  all  existing  e\dls.  He  saw  with  bit- 
ter sorrow  the  grievous  ills  of  the  present  order, 
and  he  portrayed  them  in  words  of  vivid  and 
powerful  eloquence  ;  ^  and  he  did  what  in  him 
lay,  in  the  way  of  practical  effort,  towards  social 
amelioration  without  previously  announcing  any 
theory. 

In  all  this  he  was  but  showing  most  unmistak- 
ably that  growth  and  development  of  the  spirit- 
ual nature  within  him  which  always,  through  the 
sheer  force  of  its  divine  and  tonic  power,  con- 
quers the  material  side  of  life,  and  solves  the 
hard  problems  of  the  social  world  with  that  pen- 
etrating: lio;ht  and  fire  which  come  from  the 
depth  of  being  where  God  is,  the  place  which 
old  Jacob  Boehme  used  to  call  the  "  fire-world  of 
the  divine  abyss." 

A  fair  analysis  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  work 
and  achievements  in  this  field  i-eveals,  however, 
these  underlying  principles,  —  that  the  end  of 
human  existence  and  social  order  is  the  pro- 
duction of  a  perfect  type  of  individual  and  cor- 
porate  character ;   that  character  is  a  growth, 

1  Vide,  e.  g.,  the  concluding  paragraphs  of  the  "  Retro-Pro- 
epectua,"  Evangelical  Catholir  Papers,  First  Series. 


208       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

a  continuous  evolution,  the  result  of  an  educa- 
tional process  in  which  the  interaction  of  indi- 
vidual and  corporate  energies  is  the  indispensa- 
ble factor.  He  regarded  the  family  as  the  true 
social  unit,  or  rather  as  in  a  sense  the  nest-idea 
of  the  social  organism,  to  mould  and  determine 
the  development  of  individual  character.  Hence 
his  effort  toward  social  amelioration  contemplated 
the  elevation  and  education  of  families  as  the 
chief  result  of  its  action.  It  is  sufficient  to  say 
that,  if  the  New  Testament  idea  of  social  order 
and  progress  be  the  true  one,  then  he  was  right 
in  this  ;  if  that  be  mistaken  and  wrong,  then  his 
effort  was  unmeaning  and  worthless.  At  any 
rate  he  never  surrendered  the  organic  conception 
of  Christianity  to  the  absorbing  demands  of  an 
over-wrought  indi^'idualism. 

A  moderate  rent  was  charged  for  the  cottages 
at  St.  Johnland,  less  than  the  amount  extorted 
for  half  the  space  in  wretched  dens  of  the  city, 
which  was  to  be  devoted  to  the  running  expenses 
of  the  enterprise,  —  rejoairs,  salary  of  agent, 
transportation,  etc.,  no  one  being  allowed,  by 
the  act  of  incorporation,  to  realize  any  profit 
from  this  source.  He  held  that  this  was  neces- 
sary in  any  scheme  for  teaching  the  poor  to  help 
themselves.  Free  cottages  would  be  subversive 
of  independence,  and  result  in  pauperization. 
The  project  had  nothing  of  the  eleemosjTiary  or 


THE    GROWTH   OF   INSTITUTION ALISM.     209 

reformatory  character  in  its  main  idea.  It  was 
a  socialistic  community,  founded  upon  the  purest 
and  most  Catholic  Christian  principles.  There 
were  many  difficulties  in  the  way  of  this  latest 
venture  of  Christian  socialism,  as  there  has 
always  hung  a  cloud  and  shadow  over  similar 
enterprises,  from  the  days  of  Ananias  and  Sap- 
phira  in  the  early  Apostolic  Church  to  the  latest 
experiments  of  the  Brook  Farm  and  the  Anti- 
poverty  Society  ;  but  one  by  one,  at  least  during 
the  lifetime  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  or  after  his 
death,  these  difficulties  disappeared,  just  as  the 
congealed  ice  in  some  dangerous  mountain  pass 
does  not  argue  with  the  rising  sun,  but  simply 
vanishes  away.  To  be  strictly  honest,  however, 
it  must  be  confessed  that  until  recently  St. 
Johnland  has  been  the  least  successful  of  all 
Dr.  Muhlenberg's  ventures  of  faith.  But  his 
many  friends  believed  thoroughly  in  the  future 
of  this  work ;  and  that  eminent  Christian  phi- 
losopher and  preacher,  the  late  Dr.  Edward 
Washburn,  gave  direction  that  his  body  should 
rest  by  the  side  of  his  friend  in  the  quiet  shadows 
of  St.  Johnland's  village  church,  and  there  these 
two  companions,  who  were  lovely  and  pleasant 
in  their  lives,  in  their  death  are  not  divided. 

The  following  description  of  St.  Johnland  as 
it  is  at  present  is  taken  from  the  last  annual 
report  of  the  institution  for  the  year  1888  :  — 


210        VVJLLIAM   AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

The  Church  Industi'ial  Community  of  St.  John- 
land  is  situated  on  the  north  shore  of  Long  Island, 
forty-five  miles  from  New  York  city.  It  was 
founded  in  1866  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  as  a 
home  for  aged  men,  and  young  children  of  both 
sexes,  especially  cripples.  In  1870  "  The  Society  of 
St.  Johnland  "  was  incorporated,  under  whose  control 
the  work  has  been  since  carried  on.  It  is  reached  by 
the  Port  Jefferson  branch  of  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road from  Long  Island  City,  by  two  trains  each  way 
daily. 

The  St.  Johnland  domain  consists  of  five  hundred 
and  thirty-five  acres,  with  a  frontage  of  nearly  a  mile 
and  a  half  on  Long  Island  Sound.  About  two  hun- 
dred acres  are  under  cultivation.  The  estate  is  beau- 
tifully diversified  with  hiU  and  dale.  The  village  is 
located  on  the  southern  slope  of  a  high  bluff  which 
here  skirts  the  Sound.  There  are  over  thirty  build- 
ings, and  a  population  vaiying  from  two  hundred  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty. 

Just  back  of  the  village  is  a  magnificent  grove  of 
old  oak  and  chestnut  trees,  which,  from  time  imme- 
morial, was  the  favorite  picnic  ground  for  the  sur- 
rounding neighborhood.  A  strong  stairway  leads  to 
the  foot  of  the  bluff,  near  the  mouth  of  a  little  creek, 
where  the  children  bathe  daily  during  the  season. 

The  woods  are  filled  with  wild  fruits  and  nuts  in 
season  ;  and  as  a  large  part  of  the  domain  is  covered 
with  timber,  there  is  ample  room  for  young  and  old 
to  exercise  their  activities. 

The  community  is  a  little  world  in  itself.     There 


THE  GROWTH  OF  INSTITUTION ALISM.     211 

is  a  very  pretty  church,  where  daily  services  are  held  ; 
a  neat  school-house,  accommodating  ninety  children ; 
a  library  with  a  good  supply  of  books  ;  a  store,  where 
the  supplies  are  bought  at  wholesale,  and  distributed 
to  the  different  homes ;  a  bakery,  where  white  and 
brown  bread  are  baked  every  day ;  a  tailor  shop, 
where  a  tailor,  with  several  apprentices,  makes  cloth- 
ing for  the  beneficiaries ;  a  cobbler's  shop,  where  an 
old  man  is  kept  busy  in  repairing  the  ravages  of  work 
and  play  upon  the  children's  shoes  ;  a  laundry,  where 
all  the  washing  is  done  ;  a  carpenter's  shop ;  a  black- 
smith's shop ;  a  garden,  where  a  full  supply  of  vege- 
tables is  raised ;  and  a  farm  and  dairy. 

The  principal  buildings  of  St.  Johnland  at  this 
time  are  as  follows  :  — 

The  Church  of  the  Testimony  of  Jesus.  —  In 
the  midst  of  the  settlement,  on  rising  ground,  it 
stands,  a  goodly  rural  sanctuary,  seventy  feet  long 
and  sixty  feet  wide  across  the  transepts.  It  was  built 
in  1869,  the  sole  gift  of  Mr.  Adam  Norrie.  His 
daughter.  Miss  Julia  Norrie,  furnished  the  bell,  and 
a  beautiful  communion  service  of  silver.  An  elegant 
marble  font  was  given  by  Mrs.  S.  Weir  Roosevelt. 
Through  the  late  Mr.  Hilborne  L.  Roosevelt,  several 
gentlemen  united  in  the  gift  of  a  pipe  orrgan. 

In  the  belfry  tower  has  since  been  placed  the 
"  Town  Clock,"  which  strikes  the  hours.  The  church 
will  seat  about  three  Imndred.  Short  sei'vices  are 
held  daily  in  the  morning  and  evening,  and  on  Sun- 
days the  usual  Morning  and  Evening  Services  of  the 
Church. 


212       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

St.  John's  Inn,  or  the  Home  for  Old  Men.  — 
This  house  was  built  in  1869  by  Mr.  John  David 
Wolfe,  who  supplied  the  entire  cost.  It  is  the  largest 
structure  in  the  village,  and  is  admirably  adapted  to 
its  use.  It  consists  of  a  centre  building  forty-five  by 
seventy  feet,  with  wings  on  either  side,  each  thirty 
by  thirty-five,  and  connected  with  the  centre  building 
by  inclosed  corridors,  —  the  whole  presenting  a  hand- 
some front  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  The  main 
building  contains  the  general  refectory,  kitchen,  linen 
room,  and  rooms  for  the  Matron  and  several  girls. 
The  Avings,  known  respectively  as  the  East  and  West 
Wings,  are  the  quarters  for  the  old  men.  They  are 
two  stories  high,  the  upper  floor  being  reached  by  a 
broad,  easy  staircase.  Each  floor  consists  of  a  sit- 
ting-room extending  from  front  to  rear,  with  a  row 
of  alcoves  on  each  side.  These  alcoves  are  separated 
from  each  other  by  a  board  partition,  and  from  the 
sitting-room  by  hea\y  curtains.  Each  alcove  is  fur- 
nished with  a  bed,  bureau,  washstand,  etc.,  and  is 
lighted  by  a  large  window.  The  sitting-rooms  are 
well  lighted  and  ventilated,  and  comfortably  heated. 
A  few  steps  away  is  the  church,  while  the  library  is 
at  easy  distance. 

The  Spencer  and  Wolfe  Home.  —  This  was  the 
first  of  the  Children's  Homes  at  St.  Johnland.  It 
was  the  gift  of  Mrs.  C  L.  Spencer  and  Miss  Catha- 
rine Wolfe.  One  thousand  dollars  was  contributed 
by  Mrs.  Wyman  towards  the  furnishing  of  the  house. 
It  is  a  substantial  building  of  fifty  by  thirty  feet, 
with  a  wing  of  almost  the  same  dimensions  on  the 


THE  GROWTH  OF  INSTITUTIONALISM.      213 

western  and  a  smaller  wing  on  the  eastern  end.  The 
dining-room  is  at  the  left  on  entering  the  hall.  To 
the  right  is  a  neat  little  parlor.  Above  the  dining- 
room  is  a  large  dormitory.  In  the  western  extension 
are  the  play-room,  used  when  the  weather  is  inclem- 
ent, a  large  dormitory,  and  several  small  rooms. 
In  the  eastern  extension  are  the  kitchen  and  pantry. 
This  home  will  accommodate  thirty-six  girls. 

The  Fabbri  Home.  —  This  was  the  first  cottage 
built  in  St.  Johnland,  and  was  intended  to  accommo- 
date two  families.  Owing  to  the  crowded  condition 
of  the  Boys'  House  it  became  necessary  to  adapt  it 
to  the  uses  of  the  large  boys,  which  was  done  in  1883, 
Mr.  Egisto  P.  Fabbri,  the  original  donor  of  the  cot- 
tage, supplying  the  means  for  its  enlargement. 

It  is  three  stories  high,  with  a  story  and  a  half  ad- 
dition on  the  western  end.  Originally  it  was  a  long, 
low  building,  but  now,  though  plain,  is  considered  as 
one  of  the  neatest  buildings  on  the  grounds.  On 
the  lower  floor  are  rooms  for  the  Matron  and  her 
assistant,  a  large  social  room,  and  lavatories.  The 
second  and  third  floors  are  used  as  dormitories,  the 
second  floor  having  six  alcoves  divided  by  curtains. 
There  are  twenty-two  beds  in  this  home. 

The  Boys'  Hou.se,  oh  Johnny's  Memorial.  — 
This  home  for  boys  was  built  by  a  niece  of  Dr. 
Muhlenberg's,  Mrs.  W.  E.  Chisolm,  in  memory  of 
her  eldest  son,  John  Rogers  Chisolm,  who  was  taken 
away  very  unexpectedly  in  his  tenth  year. 

The  house  is  a  substantial  edifice  of  two  stories  and 
a  high  basement.     Its  dimensions  are  thirty  by  sixty 


214       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

feet.  The  basement  contains  the  kitchen  and  dining- 
room,  where  all  the  boys  are  fed.  The  first  story  has 
the  play-room,  sitting-room,  and  rooms  for  the  Ma- 
tron and  others.  The  upper  floor  is  divided  into  two 
large  dormitories,  well  ventilated  by  the  dormer  win- 
dows which  give  a  picturesque  appearance  to  the  roof. 
Thirty-six  of  the  smaller  boys  live  in  this  house. 

The  Library  and  Village  Hall.  —  This  is  a 
substantial  structure,  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the 
village.  It  is  thirty  feet  front,  by  forty  deep,  two 
stories  high,  with  a  good  brick  basement,  and  a 
tower  rising  from  the  portico. 

The  upper  room  is  the  Library,  with  more  than 
two  thousand  volumes,  among  them  the  libraries  of 
Dr.  Muhlenberg,  and  that  of  his  friend,  Rev.  Dr. 
Cruse,  sometime  librarian  of  the  General  Theological 
Seminary. 

The  lower  floor  is  the  Village  Hall,  where,  during 
the  winter  season,  entertainments  of  various  kinds 
are  given  at  frequent  intervals.  A  platform  neatly 
carpeted  is  at  one  end,  with  a  convenient  dressing- 
room  formed  by  pajiered  screens.  A  handsome  up- 
right Weber  piano  is  near  the  platform,  and  the  room 
is  neatly  seated.  It  will  accommodate  two  hundred 
persons,  and  is  a  marked  feature  in  bur  social  life. 

The  Sunbeam  Cottage.  —  In  point  of  architec- 
ture, this  is  the  gem  of  the  village.  It  is  a  very  com- 
modious and  substantial  structure  built  in  the  Queen 
Anne  style,  and  is  well  equipped  in  every  respect. 
The  purpose  for  which  this  house  is  intended  is  ex- 
pressed in  a  Memorial  Tablet  placed  over  the  beau- 


THE   GROWTH  OF  JNSTITUTIONALISM.    215 

tiful  carved  mantel  in  the  hall :  "  For  the  education 
and  training  of  orphan  girls,  this  house  is  erected  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  A.  d.  1881,  in 
memory  of  their  eldest  daughter,  who  entered  into  life 
eternal  Oct.  31,  1873." 

A  wide  hall  runs  entix*ely  through  the  house,  at 
the  north  end  of  which  is  a  broad,  winding  staircase 
with  stained  glass  windows,  designed  by  La  Farge, 
rising  with  the  stej^s.  On  each  of  these  windows  is 
a  quaint  proverb. 

The  first  floor  contains  a  kitchen,  dining-room,  sit- 
ting-room, and  play-room.  The  second  floor  has  two 
large  dormitories,  Matron's  room,  infirmary,  bath- 
room, and  lavatories.  The  third  floor  contains  sev- 
eral rooms  for  the  larger  girls,  and  a  large  rainy-day 
play-room.  This  cottage  has  recently  been  repaired 
both  within  and  without,  and  everything  put  in  the 
most  complete  repair. 

The  whole  house  is  so  bright  and  sunny  that  it 
well  deserves  the  name  of  Sunbeam  Cottage. 

The  Office  and  Ixdustrial  School  are  in  the 
building  formerly  used  as  a  printing  office.  The 
Office  is  in  the  eastern  end  of  the  lower  floor,  while 
the  west  end  has  been  fitted  as  a  school-room  for 
primary  and  industrial  work. 

The  Tailor  Shop  and  dormitories  for  employees 
occupy  the  upper  part  of  the  building  ;  these  dormi- 
tories at  present  are  occupied  by  old  men  for  whom 
there  is  no  accommodation  at  the  Inn. 

The  School-house. — This  was  built  in  1881, 
and  was  the  last  benefaction  to  us  of  Mr.  Adam  Nor- 


216       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

Tie,  whose  gifts  were  manifold,  and  who  was  one  of 
the  earliest  friends  of  St.  Johnland.  His  daughter, 
Miss  Julia  Norrie,  united  in  the  gift.  The  School- 
house  is  located  at  the  extreme  western  end  of  the 
main  row  of  buildings.  It  is  a  neat  structure  of 
tasteful  architecture. 

The  school-room  is  divided  through  the  centre  by 
rolling  doors,  thus  making  two  apartments,  which  are 
used  as  the  Boys'  and  Girls'  Schools. 

The  rooms  are  well  lighted  and  ventilated,  and  are 
fitted  with  comfortable  desks,  blackboards,  and  maps, 
and  whatever  is  needed  for  successful  teaching. 

The  Maxsiox.  —  This  is  the  original  homestead 
of  the  farm,  but  was  enlarged  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg. 
It  was  his  home  whenever  he  visited  St.  Johnland, 
and  was  occupied  by  Sister  Anne,  during  her  charge 
of  the  place.  It  is  now  the  residence  of  the  Super- 
intendent and  his  family. 

The  Cemetery.  —  On  a  beautiful  knoll  back  of 
the  Inn,  surrounded  by  a  neat  rustic  fence,  is  the 
Cemetery,  in  which  are  the  graves  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg 
and  Dr.  Washburn. 

There  has  always  been  a  secret,  fatal  flaw  in 
all  schemes  of  socialism  and  Christian  cooper- 
ation, from  the  days  of  the  Apostles  to  the  pres- 
ent time.  All  colonization  societies  which  have 
been  planted  on  the  moral  basis  have  been 
branded  with  the  unerring  mark  of  failure,  and 
not  yet  has  the  keen  political  economist  been 
able  to  detect  this  secret  cause  of  discord  and 


THE   GROWTH   OF  INSTITUTIONALISM.     217 

confusion  in  the  many  plans  of  benevolent  co- 
operation which  adorn  the  pages  of  history. 

This,  however,  must  at  least  be  said  in  defense 
of  this  latest  projected  scheme  of  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg's, that  the  greater  prophets  of  sacred  history 
have  always  been  followed  by  the  minor  prophets, 
who  have  supplemented  the  work  of  their  prede- 
cessors, as  Elisha  came  after  Elijah,  and  Paul, 
who  called  himseK  the  least  of  the  Apostles,  fol- 
lowed after  the  short  but  effective  ministry  of 
the  young  Stephen,  who,  we  are  told,  impressed 
his  age  as  one  who  was  "  full  of  faith  and 
power."  Perhaj^s  the  boy  is  now  at  school,  or 
the  youth  in  college,  who  will  even  yet  develop 
and  make  vital  in  the  coming  generation  this 
latest  dream  of  the  aged  Mulilenberg. 

In  "The  Church  of  To-day,"  November  7, 
1889,  is  printed  the  following  account  of  St. 
Johnland :  — 

"  This  institution,  founded  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg, 
was  probably  never  more  prosperous  than  now,  and 
both  within  and  without  never  has  presented  a  finer 
appearance.  Since  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gassner  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent,  some  three  years  ago,  he  has 
not  only  kept  the  institution  within  its  income,  but 
without  increased  expenses  has  year  by  year  greatly 
improved  the  grounds,  so  that  they  were  never  before 
anything  like  so  attractive.  Some  forty  aged  men 
are    cared    for   in    '  St.   John's   Inn,'   one    of   whom 


218       WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

celebrated  his  eightieth  birthday  the  past  week  l)y 
■walking  to  Northport  and  back  again,  a  distance  of 
fourteen  miles.  In  other  cottages  some  sixty  girls 
and  forty-five  boys  are  cared  for,  and  also  taught  by 
efficient  teachers.  The  healthy  and  neat  appearance 
of  the  children  could  scarcely  be  improved.  In  the 
Sunbeam  Cottage,  built  and  supported  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt  as  a  memorial  of  a  daugh- 
ter, there  are  twenty  of  the  girls,  ranging  from  five 
to  fifteen  years  of  age.  On  Sundays  the  chapel  is 
nearly  filled  with  the  inmates  of  the  cottages,  old 
and  young,  the  music  being  well  rendered  by  a  large 
double  choir  of  young  girls.  The  children  have 
three  excellent  teachers,  and  the  school  has  all  the 
advantages  of  common-school  education." 

Concerning  the  present  success  of  St.  John- 
land  the  Rev.  George  S.  Gassner,  superintendent 
and  pastor  of  St.  Johnland,  writes  as  follows  :  — 
' '  New  York,  November  19,  1889. 

..."  The  fundamental  idea  of  St.  Johnland  as 
projected  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg  —  a  collection  of  homes 
for  industrial  workers  —  has  not  been  found  practi- 
cable simply  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  poor  will  not 
leave  the  city.  As  a  home  for  old  men  and  children, 
it  is  probably  unsurpassed.  We  are  endeavoring  to 
keep  alive  the  traditions  of  the  place  as  left  by  its 
illustrious  founder." 

The  Kev.  Dr.  E.  Winchester  Donald,  one  of 
the  trustees  of  St.  Jolmland,  and  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  board,  also  gives  his  opinion  of  the 


THE   GROWTH   OF  INSTITUTION ALISM.     219 

working  success  of  tliis  colony  in  the  following 

words :  — 

"New  York,  November  19,  1889. 
..."  St.  Johnlancl  is  in  better  shape  than  it  has 
been  for  a  dozen  or  more  years,  —  out  of  debt  and 
with  an  increased  endowment.     Indeed,  it  is  now  a 
great  success." 

To  say  that  the  work  at  St.  Johnland  has  not 
been  such  a  success  as  the  other  institutions  from 
this  creative  mind,  is  but  to  admit  that  those 
who  have  carried  it  on  have  felt  the  loss  of 
its  creator's  inspiration.  Human  nature  is  strong 
in  many  differing  ways,  —  at  many  opposite 
angles  of  being,  —  and  not  in  the  same  direction. 
Where  one  man  may  be  strong,  another  may  be 
weak ;  and  that  which  many  movements  need 
is  that  which  Israel  wanted  when  Moses  died,  — 
a  Joshua  to  lead  the  people  in  to  the  promised 
land  of  their  inheritance.  Besides  this,  St.  John- 
land  was  wanting  in  the  element  of  adaptiveness 
to  the  times  and  to  human  nature's  needs.  It 
was  necessarily  lacking  in  the  essential  elements 
of  reproductiveness.  It  was  a  specimen,  not  a 
genus,  and  was  another  experiment  upon  an 
always  doubtful  field.  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  on 
the  other  hand,  was  always  an  assured  success, 
simply  because  it  was  within  the  field  of  the 
ever-present  practical.  It  belonged  not  to  the 
specimen^  but  to  the  (jemis  category. 


220       WILLIAM   AUGUST  [IS  MUHLENBERG. 

In  addition  to  this  it  must  be  added  that  the 
weak  point  in  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  "  Retro-Prospec- 
tus," like  that  in  Edward  Bellamy's  remarkable 
work  of  to-day,  "Looking  Backward,"  as  in  all 
backward  visions  of  the  present  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  hypothetical  future,  consists  in  the 
fact  that  the  seer  who  looks  backward  always 
forgets  that  he  must  create  an  imaginary  future, 
which  never  can  be  like  the  real  future,  because 
he  has  not  and  can  never  have  the  material  out 
of  which  the  scaffolding  for  building  the  future 
can  be  made. 

We  project  into  the  future  imaginary  con- 
ditions, conceived  out  of  our  present  state  of 
life.  But  the  future  comes  always  with  unknown 
and  unfamiliar  conditions,  so  that  it  always  beg- 
gars and  belittles  our  outlook. 

But  however  this  may  be,  things  which  were 
easy  to  Dr.  Mulilenberg  seemed  difficult  if  not 
impossible  to  others.  For  the  call  of  God 
reached  his  rich  nature  intuitively,  and  the  na- 
ture replied  with  a  lavish  wealth  of  expression, 
which  in  poetry  might  have  been  a  poem,  or  in 
sculpture  might  have  proved  a  carving,  or  in 
music  a  sonata ;  but  which,  since  the  field  of  its 
development  was  religion,  asserted  itself  in  the 
beautiful  form  of  a  divine  and  practical  piety. 

It  is  impossible  to  convey  any  adequate  im- 
pression of  the  atmosphere  of  joyous,  radiant. 


THE   GROWTH   OF  JNSTJTUTJONALISM.    221 

religious  life  with  which  the  spiritual  genius  of 
Dr.  Muhlenberg  enveloped  and  pervaded  the 
nascent  community  of  St.  Joluiland.  Perhaps 
the  nearest  approach  to  such  an  impression  will 
be  obtained  by  a  perusal  of  his  "  Retro-Pro- 
spectus," ^  a  sprightly  and  earnest  pamphlet  by 
means  of  which  he  initiated  the  St.  Johnland 
movement.  The  whole  character  of  its  religious 
life  is  that  of  genuine  spontaneity,  of  reverent 
devotion,  and  warm,  catholic  brotherhood. 

The  one  psahn  of  praise  and  thanksgiving 
which  might  well  have  been  chanted  at  the  open- 
ing of  St,  Johnland  was  the  "  Exurgat  Deus " 
of  the  68th  Psalm,  —  that  triumphant  paean  of 
jubilant  Israel :  — 

"  Let  God  arise,  and  let  his  enemies  be  scattered  : 
let  them  also  that  hate  Him  flee  before  Him.  O  sing 
unto  God,  and  sing  praises  unto  his  name.  He  is  a 
father  of  the  fatherless,  and  defendeth  the  cause  of 
the  widows  ;  even  God  In  his  holy  habitation.  He 
is  the  God  that  maketh  men  to  be  of  one  mind  in  an 
house,  and  bringeth  the  2)rIsonei's  out  of  captivity. 

O  God,  when  thou  wentest  forth  before  the  people, 
when  thou  wentest  through  the  wUderness,  the  earth 
shook  and  the  heavens  dropped  at  the  presence  of 
Go(b  vvho  is  the  God  of  Israel.  Thou,  O  God,  sent- 
est  a  gracious  rain  upon  thine  Inheritance,  and  refresh- 
edst  it  when  it  was  weary.     Thy  congregation  shall 

*  Evangelical  Catholic  Papers,  First  Series. 


222        WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

dwell  therein,  for  thou  of  thy  goodness  hast  prepared 
a  place  for  the  poor." 

At  the  founding  of  the  Church  of  the  Testi- 
mony he  drew  up  a  declaration,  in  which  the 
following  rights  and  privileges  were  reserved, 
namely,  "  the  liberty  of  conscience,"  "  the  lib- 
erty of  prayer,"  and  "  the  liberty  of  minis- 
terial fellowship."  He  also  prepared  a  "  Direc- 
tory for  Worship,"  to  be  used  by  this  church, 
which  is  a  monument  of  his  saintly  Johannean 
mind.  It  provides  for  considerable  liberty  of 
omission  in  the  use  of  the  various  offices  of  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer,  and  for  a  very  exten- 
sive liberty  of  substitution  or  alteration  from 
the  habitual  use.  Whoever  wishes  to  obtain  a 
glimpse  of  the  wide  range  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's 
liturgical  inspiration,  and  the  marked  versatil- 
ity of  his  devotional  genius,  must  get  it  by  the 
study  of  this,  the  least  appreciated  and  most  ele- 
vated of  his  works.  And  whoever  wishes  to  find 
an  actual  illustration  of  Evangelical  Catholic 
worship  must  find  it  in  that  of  the  St.  John- 
land  "  Church  of  the  Testimony  of  Jesus." 

There  are  times  in  life  when,  in  order  to  go 
forward  wisely  and  with  the  divine  assurance  of 
strength,  we  must  go  back  to  the  ideal  standard 
of  the  past,  which  in  our  busy  haste  we  have 
passed  by  in  contemptuous  neglect.  There  are 
certain  critical  moments  in  the  life  of  the  church 


THE   GROWTH   OF  IN&TITUTIONALISM.     223 

when  all  the  finger-boards  on  the  upward  jour- 
ney point  in  the  same  direction.  The  Spirit 
of  God  himself,  the  divine  warner  of  all  souls, 
and  the  intuitions  of  the  baffled  and  perplexed 
heart  of  man  alike  jjoint  in  the  same  direction, 
and  say  to  us  in  our  moments  of  religious  and 
moral  prostration,  Go  back,  go  back,  and  take 
up  once  again  the  j^attern  shown  to  you  in  the 
mount  of  the  ideal. 

And  to-day  the  practical  workers  and  thinkers 
in  the  church  are  going  back  to  the  ideal  stand- 
ards of  Muhlenberg,  which  have  been  covered 
with  the  dust  of  thirty  years  of  unbelief  and  dis- 
trust. 

But  the  ao^ed  saint  did  not  live  long  to  see  the 
assured  success  of  this  latest  child  of  his  benevo- 
lent creating. 

On  the  12th  day  of  April,  1879,  a  solemn 
funeral  train,  with  Bishop  Kerfoot  among  its 
numbers,  followed  the  mortal  remains  of  this 
eminent  saint  of  God  from  the  city  of  his  late 
labors  to  their  earthly  resting  place,  this  child 
of  his  old  age,  his  beloved  St.  Johnland.  There 
was  just  light  enough,  on  arriving,  to  descry  the 
sobbing  groups  issuing  from  the  different  houses. 
All  followed  the  funeral  train  into  the  church, 
dimly  lighted  at  the  chancel,  where  the  remains 
were  reverently  placed,  and  from  that  moment 
faithfully  gTiarded  by  relays  of  young  male  com- 


224       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

munlcants,  both  throughout  the  night  and  until 
the  hour  of  burial  next  day-  The  little  sanc- 
tuary was  thronged,  making  deep,  solemn  shad- 
ows in  the  unlighted  aisle.  It  was  impossible  to 
separate  without  united  prayer.  The  bishop  led 
in  an  improvised  service,  not  a  mournful  one, 
but  looldng  upwards,  whither  the  sainted  father 
had  gone,  lifting  the  thoughts  of  those  true 
mourners  from  the  sad  mortality  before  their 
eyes  to  the  unspeakable  joy  of  his  beatified  soul 
in  Paradise. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day,  upon 
the  summit  of  the  knoll  overlooking  the  quiet 
valley  toward  which  his  heart  had  gone  out  so 
often  in  loving  desires  and  heavenly  benediction, 
in  the  spot  which  he  himself  had  indicated  as 
his  last  resting  place,  the  dust  of  "  everybody's 
father,"  the  St.  John  of  the  American  church, 
was  committed  to  the  earth. 

There  let  us  leave  him,  amid  the  quiet  success 
and  abounding  blessing  of  this  final  venture  of 
his  faith,  with  its  hitherto  unheeded  appeal  to 
the  "beneficent  powers  and  processes  of  the 
Unseen  Time." 

Note.  —  The  Rev.  William  Allan  Fair,  in  the 
Bassa  District  of  the  West  African  Mission,  has  very 
kindly  forwarded  the  inclosed  letter  from  Africa  to 
the  compiler  of  the  present  volume. 

The  letter  is  valuable,  coming  as  it  does  unsought, 


THE   GROWTH  OF  INSTITUTIONALISM.     225 

and  as  showing  the  interest  which  Dr.  Muhlenberg 
felt,  though  absent,  in  his  children  at  St.  Johnland, 
where  Mr.  Fair  was  at  that  time  a  teacher. 

*'  To  Mr.  William  Fair,  St.  Johnland,  L.  I.,  New 

York,  U.  S.  A. 

"  Brussels,  August  4,  1872. 
"My  dear  Mr.  Fair: 

"  I  send  you  a  few  words  for  the  good  folk  at  St. 
Johnland.  Remember  me  affectionately  to  Mr.  Gor- 
don, —  Edward,  —  and  to  our  dear  housekeeper,  Miss 
Russell. 

"  Hoping  you  are  all  well,  — 

"W.  A.  M. 

"  Get  one  of  the  older  boys  to  write  me  a  letter, 
signed  by  the  others." 

"  Brussels,  Sunday,  August  4. 
"  My  dear  Children  of  St.  Johnland,  Old  and 

Young : 

"  I  have  just  been  at  church,  where  we  had  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Prayer  Book  by  an  English  clergyman, 
who  gave  us  no  sermon  ;  so,  instead  of  listening  to 
one  myself,  I  will  write  a  short  one  to  you,  —  not  a 
sermon,  however,  but  a  few  words  of  remembrance 
for  Mr.  Fair  to  read  to  you  in  church. 

"  I  need  not  tell  you  how  often  I  have  you  all  in  my 
thoughts,  —  hoping  that,  could  I  hear  of  you,  I  would 
learn  nothing  to  make  me  sad.  I  trust  that  all  are 
going  on  cheerfully  and  harmoniously  with  their  sev- 
eral duties ;  I  am  sure  that  such  is  the  case  with 
those  who  are  in  charge  of  the  different  departments 


226       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

of  the  work  at  St.  Johnland,  and  I  please  myself 
with  believing  that  you,  my  younger  friends,  are  also 
doing  your  parts,  day  by  day,  with  a  good  conscience  ; 
especially  you,  my  dear  boys,  I  hope,  are  dutiful  and 
obedient,  keeping  the  rules,  giving  Mr.  Gordon  and 

Mr. no  trouble,  so  that  they  and  Mr.  Fair  will 

have  nothing  bad  to  tell  me  of  any  of  you. 

"  Let  me  remind  you  of  what  I  have  so  often  said 
to  you  about  your  good  behavior,  especially  on  Sun- 
days. Be  thankful  that  God  has  placed  you  where 
his  holy  day  is  kept,  so  different  from  here,  where  I 
am  writing.  Brussels  is  a  small  Paris.  Business  is 
going  on  like  any  other  day  ;  shops  are  all  open  ; 
going  to  and  from  church  I  saw  only  one  or  two  shut ; 
the  after  part  of  the  day  is  given  up  to  gayety  and 
amusement,  theatres,  concerts,  etc.  You  know  that 
in  New  York  many  want  the  same  kind  of  Sunday, 
but  I  hope  God  will  preserve  us  from  it ;  and  that 
you  will  do  what  you  can,  in  your  day  and  genera- 
tion, towards  saving  the  land  from  losing  the  blessing 
of  a  Christian  Sabbath.  ...  I  hope  to  do  more  good 
among  you  when  it  pleases  God  to  bring  us  together 
again. 

"  Pray  for  us,  as  we  do  continually  for  you  in  our 
devotions,  never  forgetting  St.  Johnland. 
"  Your  loving  pastor, 

"W.  A  Muhlenberg." 


THE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS  IN- 
FLUENCE. 


"  Unenfeebled  will  I  bring  my  spirit  down  to  life's  closing 
period  ;  never  shall  the  genial  courage  of  life  desert  me  ;  what 
gladdens  me  now  shall  gladden  me  ever.  My  imagination 
shall  continue  lively  and  my  will  unbroken,  and  nothing  shall 
force  from  my  hand  the  magic  key  which  opens  the  mysterious 
gates  of  the  upper  world ;  and  the  fire  of  love  within  me  shall 
never  be  extinguished.  I  will  not  look  upon  the  dreaded 
"weakness  of  age  ;  I  pledge  myself  to  supreme  contempt  of 
every  toil  which  does  not  concern  the  true  end  of  my  existence ; 
and  I  vow  to  remain  forever  young.  .  .  .  The  spirit  which  im- 
pels men  forward  shall  never  fail  me,  and  the  longing  which 
is  never  satisfied  with  what  has  been,  but  ever  goes  forth  to 
meet  the  new,  shall  still  be  mine.  The  glory  I  shall  seek  is  to 
know  that  my  aim  is  infinite,  and  yet  never  to  pause  in  my 
course.  .   .  . 

"  I  shall  never  think  myself  old  till  my  work  is  done,  and 
that  work  will  not  be  done  while  I  know  and  will  what  I 
ought.  .  .  .  To  the  end  of  life  I  am  determined  to  grow 
stronger  and  livelier  by  every  act,  and  more  vital  through 
every  self-improvement.  .  .  .  When  the  light  of  my  eyes  shall 
fade,  and  the  gray  hairs  shall  sprinkle  my  blonde  locks,  my 
spirit  shall  still  smile. ''  —  Schleiermacher. 

' '  Skillful  alike  with  tongue  and  pen, 
He  preached  to  all  men  everywhere 
The  Gospel  of  the  Golden  Rule, 
The  new  commandment  given  to  men. 
With  reverent  feet  the  earth  he  trod, 
Nor  banished  nature  from  his  plan, 
But  studied  still,  with  deep  research, 
To  buUd  the  universal  church. 
Lofty  as  is  the  love  of  God, 
And  ample  as  the  wants  of  man." 

Longfellow,  Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   AFTER-GLOW   OF   HIS   INFLUENCE. 

Having  in  the  previous  chapters  of  this  book 
told  the  story  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  life,  in  this 
closing"  chapter  it  is  reserved  to  paint  the  char- 
acter with  those  definite  colors  which  we  find 
at  the  sunset  hour,  —  a  pleasui'e  which  has  been 
forborne  in  aU  that  has  gone  before,  in  order 
that  the  character  might  have  full  justice  at 
the  end.  There  are  two  facts  which  come  home 
to  us  all  in  life,  as  we  find  ourselves  growing 
further  away  from  the  freshness  of  our  youth, 
with  a  sense  of  their  persistent  power.  One  of 
these  facts  is  the  realization  of  our  bygone  mo- 
ments of  inspiration ;  the  other  fact  is  the  real- 
ization of  new  difficulties  in  life,  for  which  we 
find  no  adequate  solution. 

In  all  the  old  days,  we  used  to  carry  fire  and 
conviction  enough  for  the  problems  which  came 
before  us.  Now,  w^e  too  often  find  that  either 
the  new  problems  are  too  much  for  us,  or  that 
there  is  some  leak  or  waste  in  the  moral  system 
by  which  the  strength  needed  for  the  new  trial 
or  emergency  has  departed,  and  we  realize  the 


230      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

truthfulness    of    the    words    of    Arthur    Hugh 
Clough  when  he  wrote  :  — 

' '  We  are  most  hopeless  who  had  once  most  hope, 
And  most  beliefless  who  had  once  believed." 

This  prostration  of  the  moral  nature  was 
something  which  seemed  to  be  utterly  unknown 
to  Dr.  Mulilenberg.  He  was  ever  fresh,  with  a 
resilience  and  a  recuperative  energy  which  re- 
minds one  of  the  youth  of  the  immortals. 

The  secret  of  this  innate  freshness  is  explained 
by  a  fact  of  philosophy  found  in  a  certain  ser- 
mon of  F.  W.  Robertson,  in  which  he  says :  — 

"  Strength  of  character  consists  of  two  things,  — 
power  of  will,  and  power  of  self-restraint.  It  requires, 
therefore,  two  things  for  its  existence,  —  strong  feel- 
ings and  strong  command  over  them.  To  judge  of  a 
man  truly,  you  must  measure  his  strength  by  the 
power  of  the  feelings  he  subdues,  not  by  the  power 
of  those  that  subdue  him,  and  hence  composure  is 
very  often  the  highest  result  of  strength." 

This  truth  is  put  in  another  form  by  George 
Eliot  in  her  story  of  "  Janet's  Repentance," 
where  we  come  across  these  words  :  "  The  early 
heroes  of  God's  making  know  one  or  two  of  these 
deep  spiritual  truths,  which  are  only  to  be  won 
by  long  wrestling  with  their  own  sins  and  their 
own  sorrows.  They  have  recognized  faith  and 
strength  so  far  as  they  have  done  genuine  work  ; 


THE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS   INFLUENCE.     231 

but  the  rest  is  often  dry  theory,  blank  prejudice, 
and  vague  hearsay."  It  was  the  genuine  work 
done  in  his  lifetime  which  gave  this  man  his  peace 
and  power  at  the  end  of  his  days.  The  first  rev- 
elation of  all  influence  in  character  is  generally 
the  period  of  early  impulse.  To  most  of  us,  this 
is  the  period  of  childhood  and  youth  and  early 
idealism.  It  is  the  period  of  tender  sentiment 
and  of  flowering  possibilities.  But  with  this 
leader  of  religious  thought,  this  early  impulse 
apparently  lasted  throughout  the  entire  life,  and 
was  never  followed  by  any  lack  of  moral  per- 
spective. It  was  sustained  throughout  a  long 
life  in  which  there  never  seemed  to  be  the  loss 
of  this  faculty  ;  and  though  at  times  he  felt  most 
keenly  the  criticism  of  those  who  could  not  un- 
derstand him,  and  who  in  consequence  withdrew 
from  him  their  sympathy,  the  habitude  of  calm 
and  holy  living  crowned  his  life  all  the  way 
through  to  its  close. 

It  is  of  the  after-glow  of  Dr.  IVIuhlenberg's 
influence  that  we  are  to  treat  in  the  present 
chapter.  Have  any  of  the  readers  of  this  book 
ever  analyzed  the  constituent  elements  which 
help  to  form  that  phenomenon  in  nature  which 
we  call  an  after-glow  ? 

From  the  rocky  bluffs  of  the  Narragansett 
shore  across  the  waters  which  form  the  Mediter- 
ranean climate  of  our  own  Atlantic  coast,  warmed 


232      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

by  the  Gulf  Stream  current,  and  fanned  by  the 
soft  breezes,  which,  according  to  the  Indian 
legend,  are  the  whisperings  of  the  good  spirits 
from  the  south,  on  many  a  September  evening 
the  lingering  visitor  may  ponder  over  the  won- 
derfid  revelation  of  nature's  after -glow,  when 
the  sun  has  gone  down,  and  when  the  heavens 
seem  on  fire. 

A  departing  light,  a  wide  field  for  reflection, 
and  an  emanation  which  seems  as  if  it  were 
something  higher  than  a  mere  material  effect, 
are  the  three  definite  elements  which  make  an 
after-glow  in  nature.  The  heavens  are  bright 
with  the  light  of  the  departing  sun ;  the  rocks 
and  trees  and  the  surf  uj)on  the  shore  are  purple 
and  golden  with  the  refracted  beams ;  and  across 
the  vast  expanse  of  sky  and  sea  a  molten  ema- 
nation seems  to  typify  the  influence  and  the 
power  of  the  orb  of  light,  which  because  it  has 
departed  is  seen  in  its  effects  rather  than  in  it- 
self. It  is  an  after-glow,  we  say,  and  it  is  the 
after-o^low  of  the  sun's  influence. 

It  is  concerning  the  influence  of  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg after  his  life  has  been  lived  which  is  the 
subject  of  this  closing  chapter.  His  life  was  a 
definite  light ;  that  light  worked  outwards  ujion 
a  definite  field,  and  the  emanation  from  this 
life  has  a  positive  and  definite  influence  to-day. 
It  is  like  the  auroral  light  in  the  heavens,  tell- 


TSE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS   INFLUENCE.     233 

ing  of  a  far-off  pole  of  magnetic  power ;  it  is 
like  the  after-glow  of  the  sun  when  the  sun  has 
gone  down,  but  when  the  heavens  seem  to  be 
ablaze  with  light :  it  is  the  after-glow  of  Muh- 
lenberg's strong  and  saintly  character. 

There  are  other  names  in  the  annals  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  of  America  which  have  a  more 
commanding  sound  on  the  lesser  pages  of  local 
and  technical  history  than  that  of  our  poet  and 
philanthropist.  Bishop  White  with  his  simple 
purity  and  power,  Bishop  Alonzo  Potter  with  his 
wide-hearted  churchmanship.  Bishop  Mcllvaine 
with  his  commanding  social  influence,  or  Bishop 
Hobart  with  his  aggressive  work  for  Episcopal 
technique,  might  well  be  chosen  as  representative 
leaders  of  the  church  in  America.  But  there 
was  a  rounded  perfection  about  these  names 
which  limited  their  influence  to  that  side  of  the 
church's  life  of  which  they  were  the  representa- 
tives. They  were  so  logical  in  those  lesser  mat- 
ters, for  which  their  names  have  become  the 
synonyms,  that  they  were  not  logical  enough  for 
the  whole  church,  which  on  its  many  sides  seems 
illogical,  and  should  therefore  be  represented  in 
its  totality  by  one  who  in  his  day  and  generation 
was  deemed  an  illogical  i)hilanthropist,  concern- 
ing whom  the  verdict  of  Joseph's  brethren  was 
given,  "We  will  see  what  will  become  of  bis 
dreams."     Hobart  and  Mcllvaine  have  guarded 


234       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

different  sides  of  the  citadel  of  the  church,  but 
Muhlenberg  has  prevailed  above  all ;  so  that 
he  has  come  to  be  recognized  as  after  all  the 
truest  leader  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  Amer- 
ica, 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  a  real  though  an  un- 
conscious leader  of  religious  thought.  He  was 
the  herald  of  an  age  which  came  later ;  as  the 
solitary  German  Uhlan  first  at  Sedan  told  of  the 
tread  of  the  helmeted  legions  which  were  to 
come  after,  before  whose  compact  strength  the 
hollow  empire  of  France  must  inevitably  tumble 
down.  He  foresaw  and  made  ready  the  way 
for  those  great  movements  which  came  after- 
wards in  which  the  church  of  to-day  rejoices, 
rather  than  directly  marshaled  in  a  conscious  man- 
ner these  nascent  forces.  But  all  true  prophets 
are  inspirers ;  and  all  true  inspiration  is  lead- 
ership, though  it  may  be  unconscious  leader- 
ship. 

There  was  that  in  Dr.  Muldenberg's  career 
which  furnishes  us  with  a  striking  illustration 
of  the  positive  power  of  certain  forms  of  nega- 
tive influence.  This  seems  at  first  sight  to  be  a 
paradox,  yet  paradoxes  very  frequently  contain 
the  truth  which  inheres  in  the  antitheses  of  the 
statement,  in  the  same  way  in  which  the  two 
abutments  or  piers  of  a  bridge  seem  to  imply 
the  connecting  span  or  arch.     Too  far  east  be- 


THE  AFTER-GLOW   OF  HIS  INFLUENCE.     235 

comes  the  west  again;  and  on  this  same  line 
of  reasoning  negative  influence  becomes  after 
a  while  a  positive  gain  of  power.  When  we 
come  to  analyze  its  essential  elements,  we  find 
that  influence  is  made  up  of  reserve  conAdction 
and  manifested  power.  Both  of  these  elements 
were  found  in  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  character.  He 
was  not  a  bishop,  nor  a  theologian,  nor  an  intel- 
lectual leader  in  any  way.  He  did  not  fre- 
quent clubs  or  clerical  coteries ;  he  did  not  write 
brilliant  papers  for  church  congresses  or  mag- 
azines ;  he  was  not  in  any  sense  an  ecclesiastical 
politician.  He  had  undoubted  tact,  and  this 
magnetic  and  mysterious  factor  of  success  told 
most  unmistakably  in  the  achievements  of  his 
remarkable  career.  But  it  was  never  conscious 
or  officious  tact,  —  that  dreadful  thing  which 
gives  to  the  ward  politician  his  command  over 
the  primary  caucus.  Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  not  a 
member  of  the  standing  committee  of  the  dio- 
cese, nor  a  frequent  delegate  to  the  general  con- 
vention ;  he  was  not  a  frequenter  of  clerical 
gatherings,  or  church  book-stores,  or  Episcopal 
rooms,  and  was  never  a  potent  factor  in  any  of 
the  meetings  of  the  diocesan  convention. 

That  which  attracts  so  many  of  the  younger 
clergy,  the  ambition  for  place  and  the  zeal  for 
ecclesiastical  preferment  (dreadful,  ])agan,  un- 
christlike  word  I),  was  entirely  unknown  to  him. 


236      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

In  all  this  miserable  arena  of  clerical  ambi- 
tion, where  the  Devil  puts  his  cloven  foot  within 
the  kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  and  helps  to 
pull  the  rope  of  those  who  are  tugging  at  the 
wheels  of  the  church,  as  if  it  were  the  car  of 
Juggernaut,  he  was  an  entire  stranger. 

The  type  of  churchmanship  of  which  he  was 
the  creator  was,  as  we  have  seen  in  a  former 
chapter,  something  ideal,  and  spiritually  com- 
manding. It  was  not  of  the  earth,  earthy;  it 
was  that  conception  of  church  life  which  shows 
the  presence  of  the  Lord  from  heaven  in  the 
realm  of  the  Prince  of  the  power  of  the  air. 

The  spirit  of  the  age,  the  mere  Zeitgeist  con- 
ception of  life,  which  so  frequently  invades  with 
its  withering  touch  the  manifold  works  of  the 
church  of  Christ  in  the  world,  never  sullied  the 
purity  of  his  motives,  or  lamed  the  work  of  liis 
hands.  He  realized  the  power  there  always  is 
in  truth ;  the  power  there  is  in  the  unworldly 
life ;  and  he  trusted  to  the  sure  verdict  of  the 
coming  age  to  interpret  that  which  he  discov- 
ered his  own  generation  was  powerless  to  grasp. 
And  it  was  this  reserve  of  conviction,  and  this 
lavish  absence  of  mere  political  skillfulness  to 
handle  the  unready  forces  of  his  ecclesiastical 
day,  which  has  given  him  his  latent  power,  and 
has  made  him  appear  in  the  truest  sense  as  one 
of  the  creators   of  our  present  American  reli- 


THE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS  INFLUENCE.     237 

gious  life.  He  did  not  spend  liis  life  in  the 
mere  details  of  ecclesiastical  activity,  but  in  liv- 
ing for  tliat  ideal,  that  heavenly  vision,  which 
had  grasped  his  entire  nature. 

As  these  lines  are  penned,  the  writer  is  re- 
minded of  the  words  of  the  Russian  leader  and 
reformer,  Count  Leo  Tolstoi,  spoken  in  an  inter- 
view recently  held  with  him  at  his  far-off  home 
in  Russia,  —  words  which  somehow  seem  to  abide 
with  a  sense  of  their  unmistakable  power.  "  I 
will  ifot  organize,"  he  said  ;  "  it  is  enough  if  I 
can  live  according  to  my  plan :  it  is  the  life 
which  tells.  Christ  did  not  organize,  he  lived." 
And  in  like  manner  the  negative  influence  of 
Dr.  Mulilenberg  shines  at  the  last,  by  the  side  of 
his  speaking  life,  as,  after  all,  a  gain  of  positive 
power. 

It  is  Hegel  who  says  that  truth  consists  in 
holding  opposite  extremes,  not  in  keeping  safely 
to  the  boasted  via  media  of  the  dusty  turnpike 
road  of  commonplace  conventionalities. 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  is  an  illustration  of  this  truth. 
He  was  a  Catholic  and  he  was  a  Protestant ;  he 
was  a  Sacramentarian,  and  yet  a  believer  in  free 
prayer  and  evangelical  preaching.  He  had  that 
in  his  composition  which  was  like  Luther,  and 
yet  his  sensitive  conservatism  made  him  some- 
times take  a  position  reminding  one  of  D61- 
linger.     He  did  not  walk  with  the  philosophers 


238       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

and  theologians  in  Solomon's  porch  alone.  He 
followed  the  Master  down  into  the  world's  stony 
pavement,  where  truth  has  so  often  stood  alone 
with  Jesus  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Csesar's 
representative.  He  was  not  an  official ;  he  was 
a  spirit,  touching  men  in  the  wants  of  daily  life ; 
and  he  is  living  over  again  in  a  wonderful  influ- 
ence to-day,  because  he  was  distinctly  one  of 
that  order  of  prophets  which  have  been  since 
the  world  began. 

Moreover,  he  translated  into  our  swift  and 
practical  American  life  the  hidden  riches  of  his 
Geerman  mind,  stored  as  it  was  with  that  price- 
less treasure,  —  the  magnetic  wealth  of  mysti- 
cism. We  have  one  such  living  voice  among  us 
yet,  who,  from  his  commanding  tribune  in  New 
England's  capital,  reminds  us  of  Savonarola  in 
his  best  days  of  power  and  influence  in  the 
Medicean  court  of  Florence. 

Another  gifted  nature,  touching  the  hearts  of 
friends  and  followers  with  this  same  mystic 
fervor,  has  shown  us  the  power  of  leadership 
on  another  line  of  thought,  —  and  the  church 
has  been  the  richer  and  the  better  for  the  life 
and  the  faith  of  James  De  Koven. 

Muhlenberg  would  have  rejoiced  alike  in  the 
pulpit  of  Boston  and  the  school  at  Eacine.  For 
truth  to  his  mind  was  ever  found  in  the  colloca- 
tion of  the  antitheses  of  life,  —  the  bringing  to- 
gether of  the  extremes  of  truth. 


THE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS  INFLUENCE.     239 

There  was  in  liis  mind  that  picturesque  ele- 
ment which  has  given  such  interest  to  the  writ- 
ings of  Jacob  Boehme,  Herder,  and  Lessing, 
and  has  produced  the  wonderful  musical  crea- 
tions from  the  imagination  of  Kichard  Wagner. 

Muhlenberg  was  a  greater  prophet  than  Mau- 
rice on  the  practical  side  of  life.  He  avoided 
dangerous  by-currents  and  eddies ;  he  kept  well 
abreast  of  the  wants  of  the  age,  and  never  loi- 
tered in  the  dark  and  morbid  den  of  monastic 
or  conventional  sanctity.  "I  am  evangelical," 
he  used  to  say,  "but  not  an  evangelical  with 
a  capital  letter  E."  In  this  way  he  never  lost 
his  clue,  as  so  many  reformers  have  done,  from 
Savonarola  to  Lacordaire.  Men  who  set  out  to 
reform  the  world  most  frequently  speculate  in 
thought  and  dabble  in  theories  until  they  lose 
their  bearings  and  go  to  pieces  on  the  rocks,  — 
because  the  unexpected  has  happened,  and  be- 
cause, as  with  the  Anti-Poverty  Society  of  the 
present  day,  there  have  been  too  many  warring 
theories  of  the  way  in  which  the  ship  should  be 
sailed. 

Then  the  nature  which  was  once  helpful  and 
self-reliant  becomes,  as  was  the  case  with  the 
gifted  but  unfortunate  Edward  Irving,  like  a 
spring  that  is  dry  where  the  great  black  insects 
burrow  ;  or  like  a  bell  that  is  cracked  and  has 
no  mellow  sound  reverberating  from  it ;  or  like  a 


240      WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

light  that  is  burnt  out  and  leaves  only  the  charred 
remembrance  of  bygone  illuminations,  and  an 
odor  which  tells  of  the  oil  of  other  days.  Dr. 
Mulilenberg  always  moved  forward  in  a  well- 
defined  course,  and  anchored  definitely  on  his 
own  ground  ;  he  never  drifted,  and  therefore  he 
never  lost  his  bearings.  After  the  defeat  of  the 
Memorial  Movement,  he  was  content  to  rest  on 
the  spot  where  apparent  failure  was  the  result  of 
his  labors,  and  the  generation  which  has  come 
after  him  has  moved  forward  on  parallel  lines 
of  approach  towards  the  goal  of  his  consecrated 
ambition ! 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  never  substituted  culture  in 
the  place  of  spiritual  force,  as  has  been  the  fatal 
mistake  of  the  followers  of  Channing.  Life  is 
too  full  of  deep  and  awful  meaning  to  be  rightly 
solved  by  any  light  and  easy  view  of  man's  rela- 
tionship to  God,  to  the  future,  and  to  his  fellow- 
men.  The  Cavalier  of  old  took  life  as  a  jest, 
as  he  filled  his  glass  to  the  memory  of  King 
Charles ;  the  Puritan  took  life  as  a  tragedy,  but 
it  was  the  Puritan,  after  all,  who  gave  us  the 
age  of  Cromwell  in  England,  and  laid  the  foun- 
dations of  that  American  commonwealth  which 
has  recently  been  so  profoundly  analyzed  by 
the  distinguished  English  author,  w^ho  has  pic- 
tured for  us,  in  his  other  great  work,  the  causes 
of  the  rise  of  the  Holy  Koman  Empire.    Muh- 


TEE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS  INFLUENCE.     241 

lenberg  felt  the  presence  o£  those  moral  forces 
which  had  gone  before  him,  and  perceived  that 
if  we  would  be  the  children  of  those  who  were 
most  truly  our  fathers,  and  would  bring  about 
similar  spiritual  results  in  our  life,  we  must 
sow  the  vital  seeds  of  our  fathers'  faith.  He 
felt  that  a  theology  which  denies  or  belittles 
the  moral  problems  of  existence  belittles  the  na- 
ture of  those  who  adopt  it.  He  realized  that 
men  may  call  their  culture  breadth,  but  that 
there  is  a  fatal  narrowness  in  breadth  when  it  ig- 
nores or  reduces  to  any  subordinate  position  the 
strong  cra\Hlngs  of  the  spiritual  life.  He  con- 
stantly maintained  that  this  cry  of  humanity  is 
in  every  age  the  sign  of  God's  essential  nearness 
to  man,  and  that  no  system  of  philosophy,  cul- 
ture, metaphysics,  or  code  of  ethics  can  ever 
meet  and  satisfy  human  nature's  thirst  for  noth- 
ing less  than  the  eternally  living  God.  We 
shall  do  well  to  ponder  this  trait  in  his  charac- 
ter. A  very  liberal  and  eclectic  spirit  is  abroad 
to-day,  and  we  delight  in  it,  and  we  do  well 
thus  to  honor  it.  But  with  this  ease  of  life, 
and  this  luxury  of  environment,  there  comes  a 
lack  of  moral  perception  and  of  spiritual  inward- 
ness. 

The  cry  to-day  is  for  culture,  not  for  charac- 
ter ;  for  gifts  and  graces  and  accomplishments, 
not  for  depth,  trueness,  and  robustness     A  true, 


242       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

unselfish  man  or  woman  shines  in  the  crowds 
of  our  great  cities  with  a  sort  of  solar  light  or 
moral  halo  on  the  face.  Great  personalities 
are  becoming  rare,  —  for  it  is  only  spiritual  and 
moral  force  which  can  create  a  great  personality. 
Cidture  alone  is  powerless  in  the  sphere  of  cre- 
ation. One  never  thought  of  the  culture  of  Dr. 
Muhlenburg ;  it  was  a  side-chapel  in  the  temple 
of  his  being.  But  the  central  high  altar  towards 
which  all  the  lines  of  approach  in  his  nature 
turned  was  always  spiritual  force,  —  a  dominat- 
ing, creative,  moral  faculty. 

Recklessness  of  belief,  or  the  bowing  of  the 
head  at  last  to  the  decrees  of  destiny,  is  another 
element  in  the  common  experience  of  most  of 
us  which  this  favored  worker  for  God  seemed 
wholly  to  avoid.  He  was  never  the  slave  of  the 
decree  of  fate.  To  most  of  history's  conspicuous 
workers,  thei-e  are  times  in  Kfe  when  the  philos- 
ophy of  Omar  Khayyam,  the  poet  philosopher 
of  Persia,  has  a  strange  and  mysterious  fascina- 
tion. The  world's  great  men  have  been  fatalists, 
by  a  heathen  or  a  Christian  interpretation  of 
this  doctrine,  —  by  the  philosophy  of  the  Greek 
dramatists,  or  by  the  inexorable  logic  of  John 
Calvin.  There  comes  to  most  workers  in  the 
world  a  time  when  they  feel  that  the  only  solu- 
tion of  life  is  found  in  fatalism.  St.  Paul,  Au- 
gustine, Calvin,  Luther,  Napoleon,  Livingstone, 


THE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS  INFLUENCE.    243 

Lincoln,  Gordon,  the  present  Czar  of  Russia, 
and  other  men  of  destiny,  have  strangely  real- 
ized this  fact. 

The  reflex  influence  of  many  subtle  forces  tells 
most  unmistakably  in  the  life  of  every  thinker 
and  worker  to-day.  With  the  tables  of  political 
economy  suggesting,  with  the  broadest  possible 
hint,  that  man  is  a  drug  and  life  is  a  wild  fury 
signifying  nothing,  it  becomes  at  times  an  ex- 
tremely difficult  task  to  maintain  a  steady  habit 
of  religious  conviction  in  the  presence  of  these 
dark  denials  of  the  faith. 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  frequently  felt  that  necessary 
reaction  from  the  ideal  and  creative  habit  of 
mind,  whose  shadow  in  life  is  that  strange  and 
mysterious  depression  which  was  realized  by 
our  Lord  upon  the  cross  when  he  cried  out,  amid 
the  gathering  clouds  of  the  mount  of  crucifix- 
ion, "  Eloi,  Eloi,  lama  sabachthani !  " 

But  depression  is  quite  a  different  thing  from 
mental  recklessness  and  the  bowing  of  the  head 
to  fate.  It  may  be  that  depression  in  a  certain 
sense  is  the  necessary  birth-jiang  of  open  and 
manifested  work.  Muhlenberg  felt  this  cloud 
at  times  most  keenly,  and  could  have  penned 
himself  Matthew  Arnold's  words  with  refer- 
ence to  this  mysterious  and  yet  universal  expe- 
rience :  — 


244       WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

"  We  cannot  kindle  when  we  will 
The  fire  which  in  the  heart  resides : 
The  spirit  bloweth  and  is  still, 
In  mystery  our  soul  abides. 
But  tasks  in  hours  of  insight  willed 
Can  be  through  hours  of  gloom  fulfilled. 

"  With  aching  hands  and  bleeding  feet, 
We  dig  and  heap,  lay  stone  on  stone  ; 
We  leave  the  burden  and  the  heat 
Of  the  long  day,  and  wish  't  were  done. 
Not  till  the  hours  of  light  return 
All  we  have  built  do  we  discern." 

Another  striking  element  in  his  composition, 
the  very  opposite  of  this  quality  of  which  we 
have  been  speaking,  was  his  conscious  sense  of 
mental  equipoise.  The  theoretical  and  the  prac- 
tical were  most  evenly  balanced  in  his  nature,  and 
he  knew,  as  we  have  already  seen,  the  unspeak- 
able value  of  a  well  -  trained  mind.  The  fac- 
ulty of  coordination  was,  with  him,  developed  to 
a  striking  degree.  He  had  the  Napoleon  mind 
which  always  achieves  successes  on  the  field  of 
its  exercise.  He  made  his  movements  march : 
they  were  not  alone  paj)er  plans,  spun  out  of 
theory  among  the  spider-webs  of  clerical  club- 
life.  And  he  was  preeminently  a  worker ;  he 
was  not  that  mere  talkative  elderly  gentleman 
which  many  of  the  parochial  stories  in  vogue 
would  lead  us  to  imagine. 

In    the   enervating   environment    of    personal 


THE  AFTER-GLOW   OF   HIS   INFLUENCE.     245 

fondness  for  our  ministering  heroes,  we  are  in 
danger  of  forgetting  the  fundamental  claim  of 
manhood  contained  in  Simon  Peter's  strono-  re- 
buke  to  Cornelius  when  he  picked  the  man  up 
who  woidd  have  tumbled  down  before  him,  and, 
setting  him  upon  his  feet,  exclaimed,  "  Stand  up  ! 
I  mj^self  also  am  a  man."  The  time  has  come 
for  us  to  recognize  the  fact  that  Dr.  Muhlenberg 
stands  before  the  church  on  the  basis  of  his  own 
nobly  achieved  manhood.  The  day  for  the  en- 
circling nimbus  of  legendary  dreamland  is  past 
and  gone. 

To  combine  strength  with  sweetness  always 
implies  the  presence  of  a  strong  coordinating 
faculty.  And  Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  strong  as 
well  as  sweet,  and  here  was  the  nerve-centre  of 
his  moral  power.  It  happens  to  most  of  us  in 
life  that  sooner  or  later  one  portion  of  our  na- 
ture becomes  definitely  and  distinctly  arrayed 
against  some  other  jiortion  of  our  complex  being. 
Knowledge  stands  ujDon  one  side  ;  work  stands 
on  the  other.  Culture  is  arrayed  against  the 
plodding  life  of  routine  ;  attainments  stand  at 
one  extreme,  common  sense  stands  at  the  other. 
Brilliancy  of  mind  leads  oft"  in  the  race  of  life 
with  a  sparkling  dash  wliich  seems  to  have  in  it 
the  snap  of  victory ;  hard-headed  endurance, 
and  those  qualities  which  seem  born  of  the 
meaner  or  more  plebeian  portion  of  our  nature, 


246      WILL  J  AM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

come  up  to  the  victor's  stand  at  the  end,  and 
bear  away  the  prize.  In  the  great  procession  of 
life,  the  dreamers  go  before,  and  the  drudges 
follow  after,  and  the  woi'ld  has  need  for  both  of 
these  classes.  But  somehow  neither  of  them 
satisfies  the  age  which  brings  them  forth.  If 
the  dreamers  only  knew  when  to  stop,  if  the 
drudges  only  knew  when  to  go  on,  how  much 
more  satisfactory  it  woidd  be  ! 

But  this  man  was  both  dreamer  and  drudge 
in  one  ;  and  his  strong  personality  acquired  its 
strength  because  of  its  successful  coordination  of 
these  opposite  extremes  of  character. 

It  is  well  for  us  to  notice  this  trait  of  mental 
balance  in  his  nature.  The  first  thing  that  every 
true  and  wholesome  worker  must  remember,  as 
he  leaves  the  door  of  the  porch  and  the  academy, 
is  that  his  boasted  culture  is  worse  than  useless 
unless  it  can  be  coordinated  into  the  life  of  duty ; 
and  that  there  are  times  when  culture  must  be 
utterly  forgotten  and  thrown  aside  whenever  it 
stands  as  a  block  in  the  way  of  the  transmission 
of  knowledge  through  character  into  life.  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  might  weU  have  taken  as  his  motto 
for  his  thorouglily  co(3rdinated  life  that  defini- 
tion of  duty  which  Mr.  Gladstone  has  given  in 
his  reply  to  Cardinal  Newman :  "  Duty,"  he 
wrote,  "  is  a  power  which  rises  with  us  in  the 
morning,  and  goes  to  rest  with  us  at  night.     It 


THE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS  INFLUENCE.     247 

is  the  shadow  which  cleaves  to  us,  go  where  we 
will,  and  which  never  leaves  us  until  we  leave 
the  light  of  life." 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  possessed  in  a  most  marked 
degree  the  dual  temperament  of  the  poetic  na- 
ture. He  had  a  distinct  and  definite  temperament 
of  thought,  and  an  equally  marked  temj)erament 
of  feeling.  He  reasoned  from  the  basis  of  the 
mind;  he  felt  from  the  basis  of  the  soul.  In 
this  way  the  element  of  caution  was  eliminated 
from  his  ceaseless  activities  ;  while  at  the  same 
time  the  sensitiveness  of  his  refined  nature  made 
him  appear,  to  those  who  did  not  know  him,  at 
times  shy  and  reserved.  He  was  radical  in 
thought  and  conservative  in  feeling,  so  that  he 
was  blamed  alike  at  times  by  both  schools  of 
thought  in  the  church,  and  in  his  day  was  under- 
stood by  neither.  The  Evangelicals,  as  we  have 
seen,  called  him  a  Sacramentarian ;  and  BishoiJ 
Horatio  Potter  feared  that  he  was  leaning-  to- 
wards  the  Cummins  movement,  by  his  keen  de- 
sire to  move  onward  towards  Christian  unity,  by 
the  way  of  the  Eucharistic  service,  with  his 
brethren  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  at  the 
time  when  the  Dean  of  Canterbury  visited  Amer- 
ica. A  lady  who  knew  him  well  once  ex- 
pressed her  sense  of  surprise  at  his  dual  nature 
by  saying :  "  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  it  is  all  right 
when  I  hear  you  preach,  but   it   is  all  wrong 


2-t8     WILLIAM  ArarsTrs  mublenberg. 

when  I  see  jou  in  the  chancel ;  "  to  which  he  wit- 
tily replied,  "  Quite  right,  madam ;  you  know 
faith  Cometh  by  hearing."  There  is  a  story  told 
of  Bishop  Fraser,  of  Manchester,  that  upon  one 
occasion,  at  a  certain  congTess  in  England,  after 
his  efforts  to  pro\*ide  for  the  childi-en  of  actors 
and  actresses,  in  the  movement  then  inaugurated 
towards  the  elevation  of  the  stage,  he  was  re- 
ceived upon  the  platform,  when  he  rose  to  speak, 
with  both  cheers  and  hisses.  Waiting  mitU. 
silence  had  been  restored,  he  began  as  follows : 
"  I  thank  my  friends  for  this  honest  reception ; 
some  of  you  approve  of  that  which  I  have  re- 
cently done,  and  some  of  you,  I  perceive,  disap- 
prove of  my  action.  That  is  right,  for  it  is 
honest,  and  we  EngHsluuen  always  appreciate 
honesty  of  expression.  But,  my  friends."  he  con- 
tinued, "  unfortunately  I  am  one  of  that  class  of 
men  who  not  only  have  the  courage  of  their  con- 
victions, but,  thank  God,  have  the  courage  also 
of  their  impulses."  We  are  told  not  another  ex- 
pression of  dissent  was  heard  while  the  fearless 
bishop  addressed  the  meeting,  made  up  now 
entirely  of  friends. 

And  this  trait  of  character  was  equally  marked 
in  Muhlenberg.  He  had  not  only  the  courage 
of  his  convictions,  but  he  had  also  the  courage  of 
his  impulses ;  and  because  of  this  twofold  hold 
upon  the  futui-e,  he  lives  in  his  influence  so 
powerfully  to-day. 


THE  AFTER-GLOW    OF  EIS   IXFLUEXCE.     24^ 

Another  element  of  power  in  tlie  cliaracter  of 
]\Iiililenberg  was  Ids  free  exercise  of  the  moral 
veto.  He  felt  the  mission  of  the  veto  povrer  in 
the  realm  of  the  spiritual  world,  and  he  was  not 
afraid  to  exercise  it.  Dr.  Johnson  once  said 
that,  to  he  an  interesting  and  a  strong  nature, 
one  must  learn  somewhere  in  life  to  become  a 
good  hater,  since  there  was  so  much  in  this  world 
that  a  good  man  ought  to  hate.  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg was  at  times  a  good  hater,  and  was  not 
afraid  to  use  the  moral  veto  in  rejecting  much 
that  was  weak,  cowardly,  superficial,  and  narrow 
in  the  councils  and  actions  of  that  church  whose 
boundless  capacity  he  perceived  with  a  jDrophet's 
eye,  but  whose  dangerous  tendency  to  run  into 
the  slough  of  the  via  media  he  constantly 
condemned.  This  moral  veto  power  in  his  na- 
ture he  frequently  exercised  in  his  condemna- 
tion of  those  special  ecclesiastical  abominations 
which,  like  whining  dogs  outside  the  church's 
covmcils,  were  continually  begging  for  admission 
into  the  canonical  and  rubrical  precincts  of  that 
Mecca  of  all  obstructionists,  that  ever-definite, 
yet  ever-illusive,  far-oflf.  millennial  panacea  for  all 
ills,  the  General  Convention.  But  the  moral  and 
spiritual  barriers  in  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  nature 
never  gave  way  before  the  dull  and  solid  on- 
slaught of  ecclesiastical  superficialness.  stupidity, 
and  Bourbonism  of  the  apparently  hopeless  kind. 


250       WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

In  the  dark  and  heavy  moments  of  defeat,  disas- 
ter, and  confusion  of  mind,  the  sure  light  of 
God's  Spirit  shone  across  the  field  of  his  vision 
like  a  light-house  throwing  its  converging  beams 
across  the  sea-meadow,  when  the  fog  from  the 
ocean  makes  all  things  else  seem  misty  and  out 
of  all  perspective.  Desi)ite  all  show  of  fail- 
ure, he  still  held  resolutely  on.  The  essential 
strength  of  his  nature  never  gave  way  before  the 
persistent  attacks  of  superficial  thought  and  life ; 
and  the  definite  light  of  faith  in  a  conquering 
ideal  always  gave  him  idtimate  peace  and  repose 
and  calmness  of  mind.  In  his  Memorial  Move- 
ment, in  seeking  to  unite  the  scattered  branches 
of  the  church  against  the  forces  of  evil  in  the 
world,  he  condemned  the  church's  formalism  and 
lack  of  divine  compassion  in  preferring  canon- 
ical exactness  to  evangelical  obedience  and  prac- 
tical American  common  sense.  He  condemned 
the  perfunctory  habit  of  mind  in  the  church 
which  maintained  a  resolute  phalanx  of  opposi- 
tion towards  anything  fresh  and  vital  and  new. 
And  this  judgment,  which  he  fearlessly  passed 
upon  the  temporizing  policy  of  the  church,  has 
not  been  in  vain.  It  has  been  his  mission  con- 
fessedly in  life  and  conspicuously  in  death  to 
lead  the  Episcopal  Church,  as  with  the  divining 
rod  of  Moses,  out  of  her  traditional  land  of 
Eg}'pt  and  house  of  bondage,  so  that  the  mag- 


THE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS   INFLUENCE.     251 

netic  effect  of  his  life  has  toviched  the  lives  of 
those  who  have  come  after  him  with  brain-wave 
and  with  soul-wave,  as  the  moon  in  the  heav- 
ens commands  at  times  the  fretting  and  un- 
certain tides.  Muhlenberg's  life  and  force  of 
character  came  into  contact  with  an  ecclesias- 
tical system  which  was  barely  emerging  from  its 
period  of  colonial  littleness,  and  he  condemned, 
not  the  system,  but  the  spirit  which  would  not 
let  it  become  developed,  and  his  condemnation 
was  the  opening  of  its  doors  to  liberty  and  life 
and  power.  His  personality  wrestled  with  an 
ecclesiastical  mechanism  which  was  strangely 
metallic,  and  he  has  been  the  inspired  voice  of 
God  to  fill  that  system  with  a  life-giving,  en- 
ergizing spirit.  Dr.  Muhlenberg  held  a  simple 
and  definite  creed,  which  insured  for  him,  not 
the  pleasures  of  speculation,  but  the  delights  of 
obedience.  For  there  are  certain  things  in  life 
which,  to  aU  who  would  keep  the  faculty  of  lead- 
ership, must  not  become  open  questions  again. 
"Men  cannot  waste  their  entire  career  in  re- 
viewing again  and  again  the  deepest  principles 
by  which  their  life  is  moulded,  and  they  should 
cleave  to  those  moral  and  si)iritual  assumptions 
with  something  like  the  obstinate  fidelity  with 
which  a  son  cleaves  to  his  parents,  or  a  husband 
to  his  wife."  ^  Dr.  Muhlenberg  never  let  the 
'  London  Spectator. 


252       WILLIAM  AUGUST  US   MUBLESBERG. 

ship  of  Ills  faith  he-to  in  days  of  storm,  to  open 
the  hatches  and  inspect  the  cargo  which  has  been 
stowed  away  in  the  past.     There  were  certain 
things   which   to    him  were    sealed  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  voyage  of  life.  —  the  fundamental 
beliefs  in  God,  in  the  future,  and  in  the  develop- 
ing capacity  of  the  human  soid.     It  is  in  this 
way  that  a  strong  life,  such  as  the  subject  of  the 
present  biography,  tells   upon  those  who    come 
within  its  range.     We   are  all,  at  times  in  life, 
like  children  in  a  forest  who  have  lost  the  beaten 
way,  and   are  out  of  reach  of  the  caU  of  the 
loving  nurse,  while   the   sun  is   sinking  in  the 
west  and  the  growing  darkness  of  the  night  is 
rapidly  coming  on.     We  are  entangled  by  the 
thickets  in  the  complexity  of  life,  and  but  for 
the  record  of  such  sti'ong  characters  as  these  we 
would  hopelessly  lose  our  way.     It  is  this  which 
makes  true  biogTaphy  such  helpful  and  inspir- 
ing reading.     The  Divine  Warner  of  all  soids 
speaks  to  us  most  unmistakably  by  his  revela- 
tion of  truth  and  duty  in  the  life  and  character 
of  his  chosen  and  anointed  ones. 

In  this  way  God  becomes  incarnate  again  and 
again  in  every  helpful  spiritual  life.  For  our- 
selves, we  trust  somehow  that  we  shall  each  be 
a  success  in  life ;  but  the  sound  of  our  many 
failures  follows  us  like  the  clattering  horsehoofs 
of  the  steeds  whicli  are  pressing  after  the  win- 


THE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS  INFLUEXCE.    253 

ner,  —  whicli  may  even  yet  snatch  from  the 
judge's  stand  the  prize  which  we  were  sure  was 
ours.  And  in  the  light  of  our  own  weakness 
and  manifold  mistakes,  it  is  a  di^-inely  comfort- 
ino^  fact  to  have  an  after-g'low  of  influence  illu- 
mine  our  path  from  God's  saints  who  in  every  age 
have  achieved  success  where  we  see  only  failure. 
Thus,  in  the  light  and  influence  of  God's  latest 
saints,  we  realize  once  more  the  meaning  of  that 
far-off  record  given  with  so  much  confidence  to 
the  Hebrew  Christians  of  the  first  centruy  :  — 

'•  And  what  shall  I  more  say  ?  for  the  time  will 
fail  me  if  I  tell  of  Gideon,  Barak,  Samson,  Jephtha ; 
of  David,  and  Samuel,  and  the  prophets  :  who  through 
faith  subdued  kingdoms,  wrought  righteousness,  ob- 
tained promises,  stopped  the  mouths  of  Hons,  quenched 
the  power  of  fire,  escaped  the  edge  of  the  sword, 
from  weakness  were  made  strong,  waxed  mighty  in 
war,  turned  to  flight  armies  of  ahens.  Women  re- 
ceived their  dead  by  a  resurrectioJi :  and  others  were 
tortured,  not  accepting  their  dehverance  ;  that  they 
might  obtain  a  better  resurrection :  and  others  had 
trial  of  mockings  and  scoiU"gings ;  yea,  moreover  of 
bonds  and  imprisonment :  they  were  stoned,  they 
were  sawn  asunder,  they  were  tempted,  they  were 
slain  with  the  sword :  they  went  about  in  sheepskins, 
in  goatskms :  being  destitute,  afflicted,  evil-entreated 
(of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy),  wandering  in 
deserts  and  mountains  and  caves,  and  the  holes  of 
the  earth.     And  these  all.  having  had  witness  borne 


254       WILLIAM   AUGUSTUS   MUHLENBERG. 

to  them  through  their  faith,  received  not  the  promise, 
God  having  provided  some  better  thing  concerning  us, 
that  apart  from  us  they  should  not  be  made  perfect."  ^ 
Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  patient  in  the  happening 
of  the  unexpected  in  his  life.  He  calmly  waited, 
after  the  failure  of  the  Memorial  Movement,  for 
the  day  when  the  church  woidd  see  that  he  was 
right,  —  another  Athanasius  contra  munduni  ; 
and  when  the  congress  of  churches  thirty  years 
later  fulfilled  his  original  ideal,  all  who  were 
familiar  with  the  story  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  life 
knew  that  this  creation  was  his  far-off  dream  at 
last  realized.  It  is  always  soul  which  tells  on 
soul.  It  is  not  position,  office,  function,  pomp, 
or  power.  There  always  have  been  prophets  in 
the  church  of  the  living  God,  and  this  man  was 
one  of  these.  He  was  a  philanthropist  and  a 
poet,  but  he  was  also  more  than  this  :  he  was  a 
prophet  with  a  level  head  and  a  well-trained 
mind.  When  he  lived  and  was  a  worker,  men 
said  he  was  a  dreamer.  Now  that  he  is  dead 
we  forget  his  dreams,  as  we  see  only  the  record 
of  his  realized  works  —  in  brick  and  stone  and 
mortar  —  in  college  and  hospital,  home,  church, 
and  cathedral,  and  in  a  definite  movement  of 
American  Christianity  towards  a  national  and 
historic  church  of  the  English-speaking  race  in 
the  freedom  of  the  American  commonwealth, 
^  Hebrews  xi.  32-40,  Revised  Version. 


THE  AFTER-GLOW  OF  HIS  INFLDENCE.     255 

where  all  old  things  are  being  tried  again  under 
newer,  freer,  and  better  conditions  whereby  to 
insure  their  ultimate  success.  And  now  the 
story  of  this  life  is  told. 

A  preface  to  a  book  ought  to  be  like  the  over- 
ture in  music.  The  principal  arias  of  the  after- 
work  ought  therein  to  be  unmistakably  indi- 
cated. 

Thus,  as  these  closing  lines  are  penned,  let  us 
go  back  in  thought  to  what  was  said  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  life  of  this  representative  char- 
acter in  the  Episcopal  Church.  He  had  the 
sense  of  vision,  which  is  the  function  of  the 
prophet ;  he  had  the  gift  of  discerning  of  sjDir- 
its,  which  is  the  test  of  all  true  apostleship  ;  and 
he  possessed  the  facidty  to  make  his  movements 
move,  which  is  the  witnessing  sign  of  the  creative 
genius.  Let  us  leave  him,  then,  side  by  side 
with  the  other  leaders  of  American  religious 
thought,  — with  Channing  and  Edwards  and 
Bushnell  and  Wilbur  Fisk  and  Hodge  and 
Washburn  and  Alexander  Campbell  and  Mul- 
ford,  —  while  the  after-glow  of  his  influence 
seems  like  the  reflected  glory  of  the  mount  of 
the  Master's  Transfiguration.  He  has  done  his 
work;  his  influence  is  a  living  power  to-day, 
and  — 

"  No  work  begun  shall  ever  pause  for  death." 


APPENDIX  A. 

The  following  is  the  version  of  1876  of  the  hymn, 
"  I  would  not  live  alway  :  "  — 

"  I  would  not  live  alway  —  I  ask  not  to  stay. 
For  nought  but  to  lengthen  the  term  of  the  way  ; 
Nay,  fondly  I  've  hoped,  when  my  work-days  were  done, 
Then,  soon  and  undim'd,  would  go  down  my  life's  sun. 

"  But,  if  other  my  lot,  and  I  'm  destined  to  wait 
Thro'  suffering  and  weakness  in  useless  estate. 
Till  I  gain  my  release,  gTacious  Lord  keep  me  still, 
Unmurmuring,  resigned  to  thy  Fatherly  will. 

"  Yea,  thus  let  it  be,  so  that  thereby  I  grow 

More  meet  for  his  presence  to  whom  I  would  go, 

More  patient,  more  loving,  more  quiet  within. 

Throughly  washed  in  the  Fountain  that  eleanseth  from  sin. 

"  So  the  days  of  my  tarrying  on  to  their  end. 
Bringing  forth  what  they  may,  all  in  praise  I  would  spend  : 
Then,  no  cloud  on  my  faith,  when  called  for  I  'd  leave, 
Calm  in  prayer,  '  Lord  Jesus,  my  spirit  receive.' 

"  But  inside  the  veil,  —  How,  how  is  it  there  ? 
Dare  we  ask  for  some  sight,  or  some  sound  to  declare, 
What  the  blessed  are  doing  —  afar  or  anear  ? 
Oh  !  but  for  a  whisper,  the  darkness  to  cheer  ! 

"  Yet,  why  aught  of  darkness  ?     Light,  light  enough  this. 

The  Paradise  life,  —  it  can  be  only  bliss ; 

And  whatever  its  kind,  or  where'er  its  realm  lies, 

The  Saviour  its  glory,  the  Sun  of  its  skies." 


258  APPENDIX. 

APPENDIX  B. 

In  view  of  the  general  interest  in  the  subject  of 
Christian  Unity,  which  has  recently  occupied  the 
minds  of  the  American  churches  of  all  names,  the  fol- 
lowing declaration  of  the  House  of  Bishojis  is  added 
as  an  emphatic  underscoring  of  the  position  taken  by 
Dr.  Muhlenberg  upon  this  subject,  and  as  the  historic 
realization  of  his  original  proposition  made  thirty 
years  ago  in  the  "Memorial  Movement,"  of  which  he 
was  the  author,  as  well  as  to  show  that  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg's original  projiosition  is  imijlied  in  this  official 
manifesto :  — 

Action  of  the  House  of  BisJiojys  at  the  General  Coiv- 
vention  at  Chicago,  October,  1886. 
We  do  hereby  solemnly  declare  to  all  whom  it  may 
concern,  and  especially  to  our  fellow-Christians  of 
the  different  communions  in  this  land,  who  in  their 
several  spheres  have  contended  for  the  religion  of 
Christ,  — 

1.  Our  earnest  desire  that  the  Saviour's  prayer, 
"  that  we  may  all  be  one,"  may,  in  its  deepest  and 
truest  sense,  be  speedily  fulfilled. 

2.  That  we  believe  that  all  who  have  been  duly 
baptized  with  water,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  members  of 
the  Holy  Catholic  Church. 

3.  That  in  all  things  of  human  ordering  or  human 
choice,  relating  to  modes  of  worship  and  discipline, 
or  to  traditional  customs,  this  church  is  ready,  in  the 


APPENDIX.  259 

spirit  of  love  and  humility,  to  forego  all  preferences 
of  her  own. 

4.  That  this  church  does  not  seek  to  absorb  other 
communions,  but  rather,  cooperating  with  them  on  the 
basis  of  a  common  faith  and  order,  to  discontinue 
schism,  to  heal  the  wounds  of  the  body  of  Clirist,  and 
to  promote  the  charity  which  is  the  chief  of  Christian 
graces,  and  the  visible  manifestation  of  Christ  to  the 
world. 

But,  furthermore,  we  do  hereby  affirm  that  the 
Christian  unity,  now  so  earnestly  desired  by  the  me- 
morialists, can  be  restored  only  by  the  return  of  all 
Christian  communions  to  the  principles  of  unity  ex- 
emplified by  the  undivided  Catholic  Church,  during 
the  first  ages  of  its  existence  ;  which  principles  we 
believe  to  be  the  substantial  deposit  of  Christian  faith 
and  order  committed  by  Christ  and  the  apostles  to 
the  church  unto  the  end  of  the  world,  and  therefore 
incapable  of  compromise  or  surrender  by  those  who 
have  been  ordained  to  be  its  stewards  and  trustees 
for  the  common  and  equal  benefit  of  all  men.  As 
inherent  parts  of  this  sacred  deposit,  and  therefore 
as  essential  to  the  restoration  of  unity  among  the 
divided  branches  of  Christendom,  we  account  the 
following,  to  wit :  — 

1.  The  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ment as  the  revealed  word  of  God. 

2.  The  Nicene  Creed  as  the  sufficient  statement  of 
the  Christian  faith. 

3.  The  two  sacraments  —  Baptism,  and  the  Supper 
of  the  Lord  —  ministered  with  unfailing  use  of  Christ's 


260  APPENDIX. 

words  of  institution,  and  of  the  elements  ordained  by 
Him. 

4.  The  local  episcopate,  locally  adapted  in  the 
methods  of  its  administration  to  the  varying  needs  of 
the  nations  and  people  called  of  God  into  the  unity  of 
his  church. 

Furthermore,  deeply  grieved  by  the  sad  divisions 
which  afflict  the  Clu-istian  church  in  our  own  land, 
we  hereby  declare  our  desire  and  readiness,  so  soon 
as  there  shall  be  any  authorized  response  to  this  dec- 
laration, to  enter  into  brotherly  conference  with  all 
or  any  Christian  bodies  seeking  the  restoration  of  the 
organic  unity  of  the  church,  with  a  view  to  the  ear- 
nest study  of  the  conditions  under  which  so  priceless  a 
blessing  might  happily  be  brought  to  pass. 

The  following  suggestion  as  to  a  practical  basis  of 
Christian  union,  from  a  Presbyterian,  appeared  in 
"  The  Churchman  "  of  October  26,  1889  :  — 

"  To  the  Editor  of  The  Churchman: 

"  While  the  writer  would  probably  be  regarded  as 
standing  in  the  opposite  wing  of  the  Presbyterian 
body  to  Professor  Briggs,  he  agrees  entirely  with  him 
in  holding  as  satisfactory  the  basis  of  Christian  union 
proposed  by  the  House  of  Bishops  of  the  American 
Episcopal  Church  and  revised  by  the  Lambeth  Con- 
ference. The  first  three  terms,  the  Scriptures,  the 
Creeds,  and  the  Sacraments,  could  hardly  cause  seri- 
ous discussion  among  Protestants.  All  accept  them, 
not,  of  course,  as  exjjressing  all  that  any  one  perhaps 


APPENDIX.  261 

believes  on  those  points,  but  all  that  is  essential  to 
Christian  faith.  We  are  unable  to  see  why  there 
should  be  any  more  difficulty  with  the  '  historic 
episcopate.'  We  may  differ  in  accounting  for  it, 
as  Episcopalians  themselves  differ,  but  the  historic 
episcopate  itself  is  an  admitted  fact.  Calvin  ad- 
mitted it.  The  best  historic  scholarship  of  our  age 
admits  it.  The  House  of  Bishops  made  their  deliver- 
ance intelligently  and  honestly.  They  do  not  ask  us, 
as  we  understand  them,  to  accept  any  particular  theory 
of  the  episcopate.  They  ask  us  to  accept  the  fact, 
and  there  is  the  fact,  whether  we  accept  it  or  not. 
We  are  unable  to  see  a  simpler  basis  of  union  than 
this. 

"  Whether  any  organic  union  of  denominations  is 
likely  to  be  effected  soon  on  this  basis  may  be  a  ques- 
tion. But  another  question  will  certainly  emerge. 
It  is  that  of  individual  action.  In  the  strong  long- 
ing for  Christian  unity  there  will  be  those,  there  are 
those,  who  will  turn  to  the  action  of  the  bishops  to 
study  its  bearing  on  their  personal  duty.  Will  the 
terms  laid  down  be  the  terms  for  individuals  as  well 
as  for  churches  ?  Will  the  full  and  cordial  accep- 
tance of  that  basis  be  sufficient  for  the  reception  of 
ministers  of  other  bodies  to  the  Episcopal  ministry  ? 
We  do  not  raise  the  question  of  reimposition  of 
hands.  We  are  not  strenuous  about  that.  In  the 
New  Testament,  ministers  had  hands  laid  upon  them 
more  than  once.  But  as  the  law  now  stands  in  the 
Episcopal  Church,  there  is  this  practical  difficulty. 
The  most  devoted  minister  of  another  denomination, 


262  APPENDIX. 

with  whatever  years  of  service  behind  him,  must  give 
proof  of  his  character  through  at  least  a  year  of  wait- 
ing before  he  can  serve  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  The 
general  wisdom  of  this  rule,  for  the  circumstances  in 
which  it  was  intended  to  apply,  is  unquestioned.  But 
will  it  be  wise  to  insist  on  it  in  the  changing  condi- 
tions that  may  lie  before  the  church  ?  "Would  it  be 
necessary  to  require  Dr.  Storrs  of  Brooklyn,  or  Dr. 
William  M.  Taylor  of  xSew  York,  to  give  a  year's 
silent  proof  of  their  fitness  for  service  in  the  Episco- 
pal Church  ?  Should  not  the  bishops  have  discretion  in 
such  cases  ?  Must  they  not  have  it  to  meet  the  spirit 
and  the  letter  of  the  action  of  the  House  of  Bishops 
and  the  Lambeth  Conference  ?  Would  not  the  settle- 
ment of  this  question  be  eminently  worthy  the  present 
convention  ?  A  Pkesbtterian." 


APPENDIX  C. 

The  following  anecdotes  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg  at  St. 
Luke's  Hospital,  never  before  written  down,  have 
been  kindly  sent  in  by  Mrs.  E.  W.  C.  Hall,  from  her 
own  personal  experience.  A  lady  who  was  for  many 
years  a  regular  visitor  to  the  public  institutions  of 
New  York  city  said  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  that  his 
sympathy  and  gentleness  of  manner  were  so  spon- 
taneous and  unvarying,  that  she  never  approached 
him  in  St.  Luke's  Hospital  without  a  perfect  assur- 
ance that  he  would  receive  her  kindly,  and  if  possible 
grant  her  request. 


APFENDIX.  263 

In  those  clays,  the  nurses  provided  for  the  sick  on 
Blackwell's  Island  were  prisoners  from  the  work- 
house, and  were  usually  in  a  semi-intoxicated  con- 
dition, as  they  did  not  hesitate  to  appropriate  to 
themselves  the  whiskey  ordered  for  the  patients. 
This  led  to  cruelties  almost  too  dreadful  to  mention. 
That  and  other  grievances  with  which  Dr.  Muhlen- 
berg was  familiar  touched  his  heart  with  deep  sor- 
row, and  so,  when  accommodations  at  St.  Luke's  were 
insufficient  for  the  demand,  he  would  sometimes  turn 
from  those  who  had  a  pastor  or  friends  to  look  after 
them,  and  receive  in  their  stead  sufferers  who  were 
at  the  mercy  of  attendants,  brutal  in  their  nature 
and  in  their  treatment  of  the  helpless  and  dying. 

In  one  of  the  wards  of  Charity  Hospital  lay  a 
Christian  man,  whose  painful  surroundings  were  so 
at  variance  with  his  beautiful  character,  it  seemed  to 
the  visitor  a  high  duty  to  find  for  him  a  more  con- 
genial resting-place,  where  he  could  spend  the  few 
remaining  days  of  his  life  in  the  comforts  of  those 
blessed  privileges  provided  by  our  mother  the  church. 
When  his  story  was  related  to  the  warm-hearted  pas- 
tor of  St.  Luke's,  he  at  once  consented  to  receive  the 
sufferer,  with  the  understanding  that  his  end  was  in 
all  probability  near  at  hand.  The  rules  of  the  insti- 
tution did  not  permit  a  consumptive  to  enter,  when 
there  was  a  prospect  of  his  having  a  long  and  hope- 
less illness,  thereby  shutting  out  those  who  might  be 
soon  benefited,  and  in  turn  give  place  to  others. 

When  the  sick  man  was  taken  to  St.  Luke's,  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  was  asked  if  he  might  remain  there  as 


264  APPENDIX. 

long  as  he  lived.  The  pastor  before  replying  called 
in  the  examining  physician,  who  said  he  could  not 
possibly  linger  more  than  two  months.  So  the  pas- 
tor, with  a  happy  cheerfulness  of  manner,  assured 
the  visitor  who  took  the  patient  there  that  he  might 
"  remain  to  the  end  of  his  days."  It  was  most  touch- 
ing to  witness  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  devotion  to  that  poor 
man,  who  received  special  attention  from  doctors  and 
nurses,  and  who  was  allowed  all  the  religious  privi- 
leges so  lovingly  provided  in  the  hospital.  When  the 
invalid  was  able  to  sit  up,  the  holy  communion  was 
celebrated  at  his  bedside,  the  thoughtful  pastor  send- 
ing an  invitation  to  his  lady  fi'iend  to  be  present. 

Amid  such  genial  surroundings,  the  consumptive 
grew  better,  and  lived  two  years  before  being  called 
to  his  rest.  Meanwhile  he  became  a  centre  of  ha^^py 
influence  to  those  around  him.  When  his  friend  the 
visitor  was  herself  ill,  he  was  able  to  go  quite  a  dis- 
tance to  her  residence  to  express  his  interest,  and  to 
tell  of  his  gratitude  for  such  a  haven  of  rest.  Dr. 
Muhlenberg,  on  meeting  this  lady  in  the  hospital, 
often  referred,  with  a  tvrinkle  in  his  eye,  to  one 
patient  he  had  who  would  "  never  die." 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  once  received  from  Charity  Hos- 
pital a  very  pleasing  young  man  belonging  to  the 
better  class  of  patients,  prepared  him  for  baptism 
and  coniirmation,  again  sending  for  the  lady  visitor 
to  be  present  at  his  first  reception  of  the  holy  com- 
munion. Subsequently  he  sent  this  patient  out  into 
the  world,  a  well  man  physically,  and  a  happy,  earnest 
child  of  the  church. 


APPENDIX.  265 

A  student  in  the  General  Theological  Seminary, 
young  and  delicate,  when  taken  seriously  ill,  far  from 
home  and  kindred,  was  welcomed  to  the  peaceful 
shelter  of  St.  Luke's,  watched  over  and  cheered  by 
the  pastor  in  his  own  inimitable  way,  and  then  by 
him  committed,  as  he  was  about  to  leave  this  world, 
to  the  care  of  One  who  would  be  with  him  and  com- 
fort him  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death 
to  his  joyful  home  beyond. 

A  man  in  middle  life,  vigorous  and  full  of  zeal, 
who  had  nearly  completed  his  theological  course, 
was  seized  with  typhoid  fever,  brought  on  largely 
by  overwork  and  special  efforts  in  visiting  prisoners 
in  the  penitentiary.  He  was  taken  to  St.  Luke's, 
where  his  lady  friend,  with  whom  he  usually  visited 
the  institutions,  called  to  see  him.  He  was  suffering 
from  intense  thirst,  and  longing  for  something  to  cool 
his  parched  lips.  As  Dr.  Muhlenberg  stood  by,  and 
listened  to  his  pathetic  pleadings,  he  at  once  sought 
and  consulted  the  physician,  and  as  a  result,  recogniz- 
ing probably  that  the  case  seemed  quite  hopeless,  it 
was  decided  to  grant  his  request.  The  pastor  went 
himself  and  quickly  returned  with  a  bowl  of  cracked 
ice,  which  he  gave  to  the  sufferer  with  his  own  hands 
as  tenderly  as  a  father  would  minister  to  his  son. 

Still  another  student  from  the  same  seminary,  now 
a  well-known  priest  in  the  church,  expressed  so  much 
gratitude,  after  his  recovery  at  St.  Luke's,  that  a 
friend,  in  preparing  a  little  memorial  wreath  for  him 
to  take  to  his  distant  parish  in  the  AVest,  ventured  to 
ask  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  permission  to  pluck  for  the 


266  APPENDIX. 

wreath  one  small  flower  from  the  heautiful  grounds 
of  the  hospital,  around  which  clustered  such  precious 
recollections.  The  doctor  gave  his  consent,  and  when 
the  lady,  who  had  spent  one  hour  in  visiting  certain 
patients  in  the  upper  wards,  came  down  the  ste2:>s, 
great  was  her  surprise  to  find  the  kind-hearted  pas- 
tor still  waiting  and  watching  for  her,  with  a  large 
cluster  of  the  choicest  blossoms,  which  he  gathered 
with  his  own  hands,  to  send  to  the  appreciative 
clergyman  with  his  "  brotherly  love." 

On  the  anniversary  of  Washington's  birthday,  the 
visitor  called  to  ask  permission  for  a  Welshman,  who 
was  dangerously  ill,  to  enter  the  hospital.  The 
chimes  of  St.  Thomas's  Church,  on  the  next  block, 
were  ringing  in  honor  of  the  day  ;  and  though  the 
pastor  was  engaged  with  friends  who  were  to  dine 
with  him,  he  at  once  responded  to  the  call,  but  said 
there  was  "  no  vacancy."  However,  on  learning  the 
urgency  of  the  case,  and  how  worthy  of  special  kind- 
ness was  the  Christian  man  who  had  given  the  last  of 
his  strength  in  a  church  choir  where  he  had  long  ren- 
dered acceptable  service,  he  said,  with  sympathy  in 
his  voice,  "  Well,  he  can  come  —  I  will  make  room 
for  him."  That  was  the  last  patient  dear  Dr.  Muh- 
lenberg ever  received  into  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  for  a 
few  hours  later  the  same  day  he  was  stricken  with 
the  illness  from  which  he  never  recovered.  His  ap- 
pearance on  that  occasion,  with  a  purple  cap  on  his 
head,  from  beneath  which  his  long  silvery  locks  hung 
down  over  a  becoming  purple  gown  that  reached  to 
his  feet,  was  very  striking,  and  the  visitor  has  often 


APPENDIX.  267 

wished  that  his  picture  could  have  been  taken  at  the 
moment  when,  in  the  kindness  of  his  tender  heart,  he 
said,  while  Christian  love  lighted  up  his  features, 
"  Well,  he  can  come  —  I  will  make  room  for  him." 

An  intelligent  young  woman,  who  spent  several  of 
her  early  years  in  St.  Luke's,  recalls  one  scene  which 
is  vividly  impressed  on  her  memory.  The  children 
all  loved  Dr.  Muhlenberg  dearly,  and  when  he  en- 
tered the  children's  ward  in  the  hospital  they  ran 
to  him,  caught  hold  of  his  hands  and  arms,  clung  to 
the  skirts  of  his  coat,  and  completely  surrounded  him, 
while  he  marched  with  them  through  the  ward,  sing- 
ing in  loud  and  spirited  tones,  while  the  children's 
voices  blended  in  the  strain,  "  Praise  God  from 
whom  all  blessings  flow,"  and  on  to  the  end  of  the 
Doxology.  It  must  have  been,  as  she  describes  it,  a 
touching  and  beautiful  sight,  and,  as  she  proves  it  to 
have  been,  one  always  to  be  remembered. 


INDEX. 


Abeeckombib,  Rev.  Dr.,  education 
begun  under,  6. 

Academy,  Phila.,  Muhlenberg  en- 
ters, G  ;  graduation  from,  8  ; 
founds  an,  at  Flusliing,  L.  I.,  24 ; 
success  of,  25 ;  enlarged  to  St. 
Paul's  College,  2G. 

Alliance,  Evangelical,  united  com- 
munion sarvice  of,  247 

Anti-Poverty  Society,  reference  to, 
239. 

Arnold,  MattlievT,  lines  of,  243. 

Ascension  day,  May  13,  1S57,  St. 
Luke's  Hospital  opened,  201. 

Baptismal  regeneration,  Muhlenberg 
never  accepted  doctrine  of,  79. 

Benevolence,  Muldenberg's  schemes 
of,  33,  34  ;  spends  his  private  for- 
tune in  works  of,  34. 

Bishops,  House  of,  declaration  of,  at 
Cliicago  concerning  Christian  mii- 
ty,  258. 

Bcelime,  J.icob,  tlieory  of  "  Divine 
Abyss,"  207. 

Boys,  Mulilenberg  called  an  apostle 
to,  50  ;  his  tenderness  for,  50,  51  ; 
interest  in  and  labors  for,  01. 

Bushnell,  Dr.  Horace,  Muhlenbarg's 
point  of  likeness  to,  77. 

Canterbury,  Dean  of,  visits  America 
at  time  of  Evangelical  Alliance, 
247. 

Catholicity,  Rome  fartliest  from, 
104 ;  Anglican,  a  figment,  104 ; 
the  genuine  not  historic,  but  liv- 
ing and  actual,  105;  that  of  Dr. 
Muhlenberg  vital,  195. 

Cemetery  at  St.  Johnland,  21C. 

Clialin'jrs,  Dr.  Tlios.,  resemblance 
in  Muhlenberg's  childhood  to  that 
of,  7. 


Christ  Church,  Philadelphia,  Muh- 
lenberg begins  to  attend,  7 ;  be- 
comes assistant  to  Bishop  White 
in  rectorsliip  of,  12. 

Christian  unit}-,  Mulilenberg  origi- 
nates movement  for,  34. 

Chrysostom,  St.,  Mulilenberg's  di- 
vergence from  similar  career,  14. 

Churchmanship,  that  of  Muhlenberg 
sni  generis,  75 ;  had  no  self-delu- 
sion in  it,  103. 

"  Church  Poetry,"  collection  of 
hymns  entitled,  19. 

Clough,  Arthur  Hugh,  quotation 
from,  230. 

Collec;e  Point,  Mulilenberg  founds 
St.>aul's  College  at,  25. 

Commission  on  church  unity,  169. 

Congress  of  churches,  170-175. 

Daily  service  of  worship,  111. 

Declaration,  of  bishops,  on  division 
of  liturgical  offi-es,  1G9 ;  at  Chi- 
cago, 18SG,  on  churcli  unity,  170. 

Directory  for  worship  at  the  Church 
of  the  Testimony  at  St.  Johnland, 
222. 

DonaU,  E.  Winchester,  Rev.,  letter 
from,  about  St.  Johnland,  218. 

Education,  Muhlenberg's  labors  in 
cause  of,  at  Lancaster,  15;  dawn 
of  his  aspiration  towards,  as  a  life 
c:illing,    IG ;     resolves    to  devote 
liiinself  to,  21,  22  ;  gives  new  con- 
ception of,  to  his  countrymen,  44 
not  an  idolater  of  methotls  in,  4G 
his  ideal  of,  45-47  ;  the  first  requi 
site  to,  48  ;  his  "  method  "  in,  49 
considers  work  of  a  holy  calling, 
51  ;  his  care  in  scdecting  co-labor- 
ers in,  51 ;  his  distinguishing  ser- 
vice in,  60. 


270 


INDEX. 


Emulation,  excluded  as  a  motive  in 
education  by  Muhlenberg,  54. 

Episcopate,  Muhlenberg  a  champion 
of,  76 ;  emancipation  of,  86-93 ; 
the  only  hope  of  a  restored  cath- 
olicity, 135-U8. 

Europe,  proposed  visit  to,  23 ;  re- 
linquishes voyage  to,  23. 

Evangelical  Catholic,  Muhlenberg 
announces  himself,  77  ;  estab- 
lishes journal  entitled,  78 ;  sur- 
prise occasioned  by,  78. 

Fabri  Home  at  St.  Johnland,  213. 
Fair,  Rev.  Wra.  Allen,  sends  letter 

of    Muhlenberg    concerning     St. 

Johnland,  224. 
Fatalists  on   the   page   of    history, 

242. 
"  Father  Muhlenberg,"  grandfather 

of  W.  A.  Muhlenberg,  5. 
Flushing,  L.   I.,   Muhlenberg  takes 

charge  of  St.  George's  parish  at, 

for  six  months,  23 ;    projects  an 

academy  in,  24 ;    success  in,  24, 

25;    founds    St.    Paul's    College, 

26. 
Francke,     "Father    Muhlenberg" 

educated  under,  5. 
Fraser,  Bishop,  anecdote  of,  248. 

Gassner,   Rev.    Geo.,    letter    from, 

about  St.  Johnland,  218. 
General  Convention,  resemblance  of, 

to  Mecca,  249. 
Gladstone,  defines  duty  to  Cardinal 

Newman,  246. 

Hobart,  Bishop,  aggressive  work  of, 
233. 

Holy  Catholic  Church,  none  visible 
to  Muhlenberp,  103  ;  hope  for  res- 
toration of,  135. 

Holy  communion,  v^feekly  celebra- 
tion of,  first  established  by  Muh- 
lenberg, 113. 

Holy  Conununion,  Church  of  the, 
projected  by  Mrs.  M.  A.  Rogers, 
25 ;  Muhlenberg  becomes  pastor 
of,  31  ;  significance  of  name,  31  ; 
corner-stone  laying,  31  ;  emtsodi- 
ment  of  his  ideal  of  human 
brotherhood,  32. 

Hospital,  St.  Luke's,  anecdotes 
about  Muhlenberg  while  in  charge 
of,  204,  262. 

Hospital  associations,  formed  in 
parishes  at  Muhlenberg's  instiga- 
tion, 200. 

Hymns,  Muhlenberg's  earliest,  17, 


18  ;  "  Plea  for  Christian  Hymns," 
19 ;  appointed  member  of  com- 
mittee on,  by  General  Convention, 
20  ;  church  collection  of,  20. 

"I  would  not  live  ahvay,"  17-22; 
revised  version  of,  257. 

Industrial  school  at  St.  Johnland, 
215. 

Institutions,  number  founded  by 
Muhlenberg,  33. 

Institutionalism,  Muhlenberg's  esti- 
mate of,  181. 

Irving,  Edward,  his  lack  of  self- 
reliance,  239. 

"  Janet's  Repentance,"  by  Geo. 
Eliot,  quotation  from,  231. 

Jay  Treaty,  relation  of,  to  Muhlen- 
berg, 3 ;  excitement  incident  to 
adoption  of,  4  (notes). 

Johnny's  memorial  at  St.  Johnland, 
213. 

Johnson,  Dr.  Samuel,  words  of, 
249. 

Kemper,  Rev.  Jackson,  Muhlenberg 
studies  under,  12  ;  address  by,  in 
Church  of  the  Holy  Communion, 
117. 

Kerfoot,  Rev.  J.  B.,  pupil  in  Muh- 
lenberg's school  at  Lancaster,  17  ; 
leaves  faculty  of  St.  Paul's  Col- 
lege to  found  College  of  St. 
James,  in  Maryland,  65  ;  letter  of 
Muhlenberg  to,  as  bishop-elect  of 
Pittsburg,  91  ;  letter  of  Muhlen- 
berg to,  on  daily  service  of  wor- 
ship, 111 ;  also  on  Evangelical 
Catholicism,  113;  conducts  fu- 
neral of  Muhlenberg,  233. 

Khayyam,  Omar,  the  Persian  poet, 
fata'lism  of,  242. 

Lancaster,  characteristics  of,  dur- 
ing Mvihlenberg's  residence  in, 
13 ;  made  the  second  school  dis- 
trict in  Pennsylvania  by  Muh- 
lenberg's efforts,  15  ;  his  educa- 
tional efforts  in,  16  ;  resigns  his 
pastorate  in,  23. 

Leadership,  Muhlenberg's  illustra- 
tion of,  15. 

Library  at  St.  Johnland,  214. 

Liturgy,  stereotyped  and  slavish  use 
of,  160  ;  when  a  hindrance  to  mis- 
sionary work,  lGl-166. 

"Locking  Backward,"  by  Edward 
Bellamy,  220. 

Longfellow,  quotation  from,  228. 


INDEX. 


271 


Lutheran  Church  in  North  America 
founded  by  "  Father  Muhlen- 
berg," 5. 

Mathematics,  Muhlenberg's  want  of 
aptitude  for,  9. 

Maurice,  F.  D. ,  Muhlenberg's  point 
of  resemblance  to,  77,  '239. 

Mcllvane,  Bishop,  influence  of,  233. 

"  Memorial,"  the,  to  whom  ad- 
dressed, 81  ;  a  leading  aim  of  the, 
106  ;  immediate  aim  of,  1'27  ;  text 
of,  129-13-1 ;  reasons  for  presenting 
to  House  of  Bishops,  131 ;  "  Fur- 
ther communication  on  tlie," 
1G7  ;  acrimonious  discussion  ex- 
cited by,  168. 

Muhlenberg,  Henry  Melchior,  or 
"  Father  Muhlenberg,"  founder 
of  Lutheran  Churcli  in  North 
America,  5. 

Muhlenberg,  John  Peter  Gabriel, 
general  in  War  of  Revolution,  5. 

Mulilenberg,  William  Augustus, 
parentage  and  birth,  3,  4  ;  ances- 
try, 5,  6  ;  deatli  of  his  fatlier,  6 ; 
enters  Philadelpliia  Academy,  6  ; 
attends  Episcopal  Cliurch,  7  ; 
childisli  traits,  7,  8  ;  enters  col- 
lege, 7  ;  religious  life,  9,  10 ; 
youthful  characteristics,  11  ;  grad- 
uation and  ordination,  11,  12 ; 
called  to  Lancaster,  13  ;  personal 
appearance,  14 ;  life  and  occupa- 
tion at  Lancaster,  15,  16 ;  his 
hymnody,  17,  18;  musical  taste 
and  abilities,  19 ;  resolves  to  be- 
come an  educator,  22 ;  founds 
Flushing  Institute,  24 ;  and  St. 
Paul's  College,  26  ;  witlidraws 
from  educational  work,  27 ;  re- 
moves to  New  York,  29 ;  founds 
Church  of  Holy  Communion,  31  ; 
ideal  of  human  brotherhood,  32  ; 
his  practical  benevolence,  29-32  ; 
his  method  in  religious  work,  3C  ; 
efforts  for  the  poor,  36-38  ;  plans 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  37  ;  and  St. 
Johnland,  37,  39  ;  first  illness,  40  ; 
deatli,  40  ;  iiis  aim  and  the  char- 
acter of  his  activity  as  a  religious 
leader,  43,  44  ;  his  great  service  to 
the  cause  of  education,  44,  45, 66- 
69;  his  ideal  of  education,  46-48 ; 
devotion  to  liis  pupils,  49-51  ; 
type  of  .soliool  which  lie  origi- 
nated, 52-54  ;  his  metliod  of  reli- 
gious culture  in  tlie  school,  55-62; 
individuality  of  his  churchman- 
ship,  75-77  ;  his  conception  of  the 


church's  work  in  the  world,  79, 
81-86  ;  and  of  her  proper  order, 
80,  86-103  ;  his  practical  efficiency 
in  affairs,  105 ;  his  parochial  ad- 
ministration, 106-119  ;  inaugu- 
rated the  "  Memorial  Movement," 
127 ;  his  method  of  leadership, 
128  ;  the  reviver  of  catholic  tem- 
per in  American  church,  168  ;  not 
a  Broad  Cliurchman,  181 ;  recog- 
nized the  power  of  personality 
and  tlie  value  of  institutionalism, 
181  ;  practical  character  of,  his 
mind  and  work,  185,  186 ;  his 
quiet  manner  of  initiating  great 
undertakings,  195 ;  letter  of,  to 
children  at  St.  Johnland,  225 ; 
funeral  of,  223. 

Napoleon  Bonaparte,  Muhlenberg's 
dislike  of,  11. 

Napoleon's  mind,  character  of,  244. 

Narragansett  sliore,  autumnal  after- 
glow upon,  231. 

Newman,  I.  H.,  childish  traits  in 
Muhlenberg  resembling  those  of, 
7. 

New  York,  Muhlenberg  visits  his 
family  at,  23  ;  his  sister  contem- 
plates founding  free  cliurch  in, 
28  ;  enters  on  ministry  in,  29. 

Norrie,  Adam,  Mr.,  builds  school- 
house  at  St.  Jolinlaud,  215. 

Ordination,  ob-stacle  of,  to  catholic 
union,  149-151. 

Pestalozzi,  Muhlenberg  more  fortu- 
nate than,  as  financier,  25 ;  his 
resemblance  to,  46,  49. 

Potter,  Alonzo,  Bishop,  influence  of, 
233. 

Potter,  Horatio,  Bishop,  fears  Muh- 
lenberg leans  towards  the  Cum- 
mins movement,  247. 

Prefects,  their  function  in  the 
scliool,  53. 

Presbyterian,  a,  views  of,  concern- 
ing Christian  union,  260. 

"  Retro  -  Prospectus,"  by  Mulilen- 
berg, weak  point  of,  220. 

Rich,  J.  W.,  architect  of  St.  Luke's 
Hospital,  200. 

Ritualism,  Muhlenberg's  introduc- 
tion of,  56  ;  liis  not  stereotyped, 
nor  susceptible  of  prosaic  inter- 
pretation, 57. 

Robertson,  F.  W.,  Rev.,  quotation 
from,  230. 


272 


INDEX. 


Schleiermacl'.er,  quotation  from, 
228. 

Schools,  rapidly  multiply  upon  the 
pattern  which  Muhlenberg  fur- 
nished, G4. 

Seeley,  Prof.,  quotation  from,  179. 

Sisterhood,  the  first  Protestant  in 
America,  109 ;  original  inception 
of,  by  Mulileuberg,  188 ;  growth  of 
the  idea,  189:  prejudice  against, 
199. 

"  Spectator,  London,"  quotation 
from,  251. 

Spencer  and  WoUe  Home  at  St. 
Jolmland,  212. 

St.  James,  College  of,  founded  by 
Bishop  Kerfoot,  65. 

St.  Johnland,  first  conception  of, 
206  ;  not  like  Brook  Farm,  209  ; 
description  of,  from  latest  report, 
209. 

St.  John's  Inn  for  old  men  at  St. 
Johnland,  212. 

St.  Luke's  Hospital,  an  outgrowth 
of  his  ideal  of  human  brother- 
hood, 34 ;  Muhlenberg  refuses 
salary  for  services  as  pastor  of,  35  ; 
fir.st  occupied,  1858,  35;  Muhlen- 
berg announces  his  purpose  to 
build,  37  ;  opportunity  for  realiz-  | 
ing  tliis  purpose,  196;  "History  I 
and  Progress  of,"  198;  gifts  for 
the  building  of,  198 ;  plan  of,  200.  j 

St.  Paul's  College,  founded  at  Col- 
lege Point,  26 ;  work  of,  26,  27.       i 


Sunbeam  Cottage,  St.  Johnland, 
214. 

Teachers,  prime  necessity  of,  in 
education,  48 ;  Muhlenberg's  care 
in  selecting,  51 ;  his  success  in 
training,  52 ;  great  demand  for, 
65. 

Testimony  of  Jesus,  Church  of,  at 
St.  Johnland,  211. 

"  The  Churcli  of  To-day,"  account 
in,  of  St.  Johnland,  217. 

Theology,  Muhlenberg  studies,  un- 
der the  Rev.  Jackson  Keuiper, 
12. 

Thirty-nine  Articles,  Muhlenberg 
accepts  theology  of,  43. 

Tolstoi,  Count  Leo,  words  of,  237. 

Uhlan,  German,  Muhlenberg  like, 
234. 

Vanderbilt,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cornelius, 
build  Suulieam  Cottage  at  St. 
Jolmland,  218. 

Wagner,  Richard,  reference  to,  239. 

Washburn,  Dr.  Edward,  grave  with 
that  of  Muhlenberg  at  St.  John- 
land,  216. 

White,  Bishop,  influence  of,  233. 

Worship,  order  and  freedom  of,  93- 
103. 

Zeitgeist,  influence  of,  236. 


amencan  iSeligiou^  Heaner^s. 

A  Series  of  Biographies  of  Men  who  have  had  great 

influence  on  Religious  Thought  and 

Life  in  the  United  States. 


JONATHAN  EDWARDS.     By   Professor   A.  V.  G. 

Allen,  author  of  "  The  Continuity  of  Christian  Thought." 

WILBUR   FISK.     By  Professor  George   Prentice,  of 

Wesleyan  University. 

DR.  MUHLENBERG.    By  Rev.  William  Wilberforce 

Newton. 

FRANCIS  WAYLAND.     By   Professor  J.  O.   Mur- 

ray,  of  Princeton. 

ARCHBISHOP    JOHN    HUGHES.     By   John   G. 

Shea,  LL.  D.,  author  of  "  The  Catholic  Authors  of  America,"  etc. 

CHARLES  HODGE.     By  President  Francis  L.  Pat- 

ton,  of  Princeton. 

THEODORE  PARKER.     By  John  Fiske,  author  of 

"  The  Idea  of  God,"  "  Outlines  of  Cosmic  Philosophy,"  etc. 

CHARLES  G.  FINNEY.    By  Professor  G.  Frederick 

Wright. 


This  Series  will  include  biographies  of  eminent  men 
who  represent  the  theology  and  methods  of  the  va- 
rious religious  denominations  of  America,  yet  the  ob- 
ject of  the  Series  does  not  contemplate  emphasizing 
personal  character  and  history  except  as  these  are  re- 
lated to  the  development  of  religious  thought  or  the 
quickening  of  religious  life.  The  Series  when  com- 
pleted will  not  only  depict  in  a  clear  and  memorable 
way  several  great  figures  in  American  religious  his- 
tory, but  will  indicate  the  leading  characteristics  of 
that  history,  the  progress  and  process  of  religious 
philosophy  in  America,  the  various  types  of  theology 
which  have  shaped  or  been  shaped  by  the  various 
churches,  and  the  relation  of  these  to  the  life  and 
thought  of  the  Nation. 


Other  volumes  to  be  annou7tced  hereafter.     Each  volu7ne,  ibmo,gilt 
top,  ^r. 23. 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN   &   COMPANY, 

4  Park  St.,  Boston;  ii  East  17TH  St.,  New  York. 


amencan  ComtnontDealtlj^, 

Edited  by  Horace  E.  Scudder. 

• 

VIRGINIA.   A  History  of  the  People.   ByJohnEsten 

Cooke,  author  of  "  Life  of  Stonewall  Jackson,"  etc. 

OREGON.    Tlie  Struggle  for  Possession.    By  William 

Barrows,  D.  D. 

MARYLAND.  The  History  of  a  Palatinate.  By  Wil- 
liam Hand  Browne,  Associate  of  Johns  Hopkins  University. 

KENTUCKY.     A  Pioneer  Commonwealth.     By  Na- 

thaniel  S.  Shaler,  S.  D.,  Professor  of  Palaeontology,  Harvard  Uni- 
versity. 

MICHIGAN.  A  History  of  Governments.  By  Thomas 

Mclntyre  Cooley,  LL.  D.,  formerly  Chief  Justice  of  Michigan. 

KANSAS.     The  Prelude  to  the  War  for  the  Union. 

By  Leverett  W.  Spring,  formerly  Professor  in  English  Literature  in 
the  University  of  Kansas. 

CALIFORNIA.     From  the  Conquest  in  1846  to  the 

Second  Vigilance  Committee  in  San  Francisco.  A  Study  of  American 
Character.  By  Josiah  Royce,  Assistant  Professor  of  Philosophy  in 
Harvard  University,  formerly  Professor  in  the  University  of  California. 

NEW  YORK.     The  Planting  and  the  Growth  of  the 

Empire  State.  By  the  Hon.  Ellis  H.  Roberts,  Editor  of  the  Utica 
Herald.     In  two  volumes. 

CONNECTICUT.  A  Study  of  a  Commonwealth  De- 
mocracy. By  Professor  Alexander  Johnston,  author  of  "  American 
Politics." 

MISSOURI.   A  Bone  of  Contention.   By  Lucien  Carr, 

M.  A.,  Assistant  Curator  of  the  Feabody  Museum  of  Archseology. 

INDIANA.     A  Redemption  from  Slavery.     By  J.  P. 

Dunn,  Jr.,  author  of  "  Massacres  of  the  Mountains." 

OHIO.     First  Fruits  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787.     By 

Hon.  Rufus  King. 

In  Preparation. 

NEW  JERSEY.     By  Austin  Scott,  Ph.  D.,  Professor 

of  History,  etc.,  in  Rutgers  College. 

PENNSYLVANIA.     By  Hon.  Wayne  McVeagh,  late 

Attorney-General  of  the  United  States. 

ILLINOIS.     By  E.  G.  Mason. 

SOUTH  CAROLINA.     By  Edward  McCrady,  Jr. 

Other  vohtmes  to  be  announced  hereafter.      With  Maps. 
Each  volume,  i6mo,  gilt  top,  $/.2j. 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN   AND   COMPANY, 

4  Park  St.,  Boston;  11  East  17TH  St.,  New  York. 


amejcican  ifHcn  of  Letters* 

Edited  by  Charles  Dudley  Warner. 


WASHINGTON    IRVING.      By    Charles    Dudley 

Warner,  author  of  "  In  the  Levant,"  etc. 

NOAH  WEBSTER.     By  Horace  E.  Scudder,  author 

of  "  Stories  and  Romances,"  "  A   History  of  the  United  States  of 
America,"  etc. 

HENRY  D.  THOREAU.     By  Frank  B.  Sanborn. 
GEORGE  RIPLEY.     By  Octavius  Brooks  Frothing- 

ham,  author  of  "  Transcendentalism  in  New  England." 

JAMES    FENIMORE    COOPER.     By  Thomas   R. 

Lounsbury,  Professor  of  English  in  the  Scientific  School  of  Yale  Col- 
lege. 

MARGARET    FULLER    OSSOLI.      By    Thomas 

Wentworth  Higginson,  author  of  "  Malbone,"  "  Oldport  Days,"  etc. 

RALPH  WALDO  EMERSON.     By  Oliver  Wendell 

Hohnes,  author  of  "  The  Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast-Table,"  etc. 

EDGAR  ALLAN  POE.     By  George  E.  Woodberry, 

author  of  "  A  History  of  Wood  Engraving." 

NATHANIEL   PARKER  WILLIS.     By  Henry  A. 

Beers,  Professor  of  English  Literature  in  Yale  College. 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.     By  John  Bach  McMas- 

ter,  author  of  "  History  of  the  People  of  the  United  States." 

In  Preparation. 
NATHANIEL  HAWTHORNE.     By  James  Russell 

Lowell,  author  of  "  My  Study  Windows,"  etc. 

WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT.     By  John  Bigelow, 

author  of  "  Molinos  the  Quietist,"  etc. 

Other  volumes  to  be  antiou7tced  hereafter.     Each   volume,   with 
Portrait,  i6mo,  gilt  top,  $1.2^  ;  half  morocco,  $2.jo. 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN    &    COMPANY, 

4  Park  St.,  Boston;  ii  East  17TH  St,  New  York. 


American  ^tate^men. 

Edited  by  John  T.  Morse,  Jr. 


JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS.     By  John  T.  Morse,  Jr., 

author  of  "  A  Life  of  Alexander  Hamilton,"  etc. 

ALEXANDER    HAMILTON.      By    Henry   Cabot 

Lodge,  author  of  "  The  English  Colonies  in  America,"  etc. 

JOHN  C.  CALHOUN.     By  Dr.  H.  von  Hoist,  au- 

thor  of  the  "  Constitutional  History  of  the  United  States." 

ANDREW  JACKSON.     By  Prof.  William  G.  Sum- 

ner,  author  of  "  History  of  American  Currency,"  etc. 

JOHN  RANDOLPH.     By  Henry  Adams,  author  of 

"  New  England  Federalism,"  etc. 

JAMES  MONROE.     By  D.  C.  Gilman,  President  of 

Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore. 

THOMAS  JEFFERSON.     By  John  T.  Morse,  Jr. 
DANIEL  WEBSTER.     By  Henry  Cabot  Lodge. 
ALBERT   GALLATIN.     By  John   Austin   Stevens, 

recently  editor  of  "  The  Magazine  of  American  History." 

JAMES  MADISON.     By  Sydney  Howard  Gay,  au- 

thor  (with  William  Cullen  Bryant)  of  "  A   Popular  History  of  the 
United  States." 

JOHN  ADAMS.     By  John  T.  Morse,  Jr. 
JOHN  MARSHALL.     By  Allan  B.  :\Iagruder. 
SAMUEL  ADAMS.     By  James  K.  Hosmer,  author 

of  "  A  Short  History  of  German  Literature,"  etc. 

THOMAS  HART  BENTON.     By  Theodore  Roose- 
velt, author  of  "  Hunting  Trips  of  a  Ranchman,"  etc. 

HENRY   CLAY.     By  Hon.  Carl  Schurz.     2  vols. 
PATRICK  HENRY.     By  Moses  Coit  Tyler,  author 

of  "  History  of  American  Literature,"  etc. 

GOUVERNEUR    MORRIS.     By  Theodore  Roose- 
velt. 
MARTIN  VAN  BUREN.     By  Edward  M.  Shepard. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON.     By  Hon.  Henry  Cabot 

Lodge.     In  two  volumes. 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.     By  John  T.  Morse,  Jr. 

In  Preparation. 
JOHN  JAY.     By  George  Pellew,  author  of  "  Woman 

and  the  Commonwealth." 

LEWIS  CASS.     By  Prof.  Andrew  C.  McLaughlin,  of 

the  University  of  Michigan. 

Other  volumes  to  be  announced  hereafter.     Each  volume,  uniform, 
ibmo,  gilt  top,  $i.2J  ;  half  morocco,  $2.30. 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN   AND    COMPANY, 

4  Park  St.,  Boston  ;  11  East  17TH  St.,  New  York. 


4 


"m 


'■'^*  * 


^t^GBLEs 


'-i-rj  iPft 


